This beautifully written memoir tells the almost unbelievable story of a South African boy who got as far as Grade 8 in his township primary school, and then hit a glass ceiling. Only through the intervention of a caring Catholic Father was he able to continue with his education. This same township boy recently retired from the University of South Africa as a professor emeritus in Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics. Between these two important events lies a life of extraordinary academic achievement in the United States and deep thinking about his native country.