Acknowledgments

No book like this gets written alone. It gets written because other people made it possible for the writer to keep his eyes open long enough to see, and keep his back straight long enough to say what he saw.

To my mother, Phyllis Lyles, and my father, Delton Lyles, thank you for showing me the world and giving me the chance to experience different cultures firsthand. Because of you, I got to see how wide and vast this world truly is. We are a family that has full, articulated conversations on almost every topic, and you have always taught me to stand upright, head back, and speak my truth. For all of this, thank you.

To my sisters, Tasha Lyles-Bryant and Kim Armstead, thank you for letting me bend your ear. You know I can talk forever on subjects I am passionate about, and you never made me feel like I needed to shrink myself to be heard.

To my brothers in every way that matters, Jermaine McAdory, Pastor Freeman Kinard, Kentrell Steed, and Charles Haskins: you are the kind of friends a man only finds a few times in a lifetime. You have walked with me through every season, never asked me to perform, and always met me exactly where I was. I am grateful our paths crossed, and I am just as grateful for your families, who welcomed me like one of their own.

To Sandrina and Sabrina Rosalino, you are family in every sense of the word. You have loved me, corrected me, and cheered for me without reservation. Thank you for your warmth, your honesty, and for sharing your family with me too.

To the Russell Family, my mother's side, thank you for the blood and the belonging. You are the roots that have held this family together across every mile, and the warmth you carry is the reason I know what home feels like no matter where I stand.

To my Vicenza Family, thank you for the great times in Italy. The meals, the laughter, and the togetherness we shared overseas shaped me in ways I am still discovering. You made a foreign place feel like home.

To my Sierra Vista Family, and to everyone who lived those Buena High experiences with me, thank you for the bonds we created. Those years were filled with friendship, growth, and memories I carry with me still. You were part of becoming who I am.

To the rest of the Gentlemen of 4.1.5 and my U of L Family, thank you for the brotherhood, the debates, and the loyalty. I am deeply grateful that our paths crossed, and I carry every one of you with me.

To every teacher, pastor, and elder who let me ask hard questions without punishing me for asking, thank you. You showed me that faith and honesty can share the same room.

To the readers who picked up this book expecting to disagree, thank you for staying long enough to consider it. That is more than the moment usually offers.

Any errors are mine. Any grace here belongs to the people above.

Ramon Lyles