It's 1995 and Garfield High School is the fifth largest high school in the nation. Garfield is 99% Latino and the home of the movie "Stand and Deliver." This book captures one day at work as Dick Selby, the school psychologist, deals with a potential suicide, physical abuse, teenage pregnancy, and a group of girls who call themselves "Midnight Pleasure." And because of them there's almost a gang fight. These stories demonstrate the positive impact that a school psychologist can have in an inner-city high school, as well as the difficulties of adolescence and growing up. Twice Dick has been recognized as a "School Psychologist of the Year," and in June of 2000, KCOP, Channel13, honored him as their "Hero of the Week." "Dick Selby saves students' lives," the commentator stated.

Dick Selby is the school psychologist at Garfield High School, a school made famous by the movie "Stand and Deliver." Garfield is also the fifth largest high school in the nation. Dick finds himself involved with more emergency cases than any other psychologist in Los Angeles and possibly in the entire United States. From morning until night, he deals with the complex issues of the inner city. Dick shares some of these most important experiences that he has handled, including a varsity football team that goes on a rampage. The stories in this book give strong support to the importance of having a school psychologist who can work with all the various psychological issues that occur in schools.

Thirteen graduates of Oceanside High School's class of 1963 set out into the world. They are young and excited and the world is at their finger tips. One of these graduates travels to Europe just two days after graduation and returns a changed person. He's gone from being a boy to a man. Another marries just several months later and becomes a mom by the age of 19. Soon they will be faced with some of the most difficult issues imaginable: the draft, Vietnam, college, just making it on their own, relationships, divorce, and even the advent of one's own death. Life is not easy as they experience all that life brings. In this book they've all now turned sixty-five and they look back on what has happened. They take an honest look at themselves and share their lives, their loves, their successes and their failures. And most importantly, these 13 share the wisdom they have learned over these many years on how to be happy, no matter what happens to them.