Gerdes spent his formative years in a well-to-do family in Les Cayes. Even so, he did not enjoy the privilèges that came with an elite homehold. Instead, he had to settle for second-class status and the shame that accompanied. His family moved often, each house worse than the previous. But this houses would shape Gerdes's life. In Les Cayes, Haiti, Gerdes relays the highs and lows of his yong life, as well as the contempt he received from those who  should've loved him. Set within a politically tumultuous time in Haiti's History, Gerdes's experience will leave readers contemplating the harsh realities that children face.

*

Lyonel Gerdes is a world traveler, educator, former journalist living and working in Miami, Florida. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Gerdes emigrated to the United States after a tumultuous life in Les Cayes and the country's capital city. Gerdes has a bachelor's degree in sociology and a natural curiosity about people, culture, and geography.