Al Rivera lives and manages his masonry business in
In Al Rivera’s young world, there were no dream weavers, no teachers, and no readers who introduced him to bigger and better worlds outside his own abject poverty. No one taught him how to rise above abuse and adversity. No one challenged him to set his sights higher than his grim existence. No one told him that working hard and dumpster diving couldn’t be fun, so that is exactly what he made it. Fun.
In Al’s world – the real world – there was actually no room for dreaming. Every Monday through Friday, year-round, at a tender age, he worked the downtown streets of
Al received no food at home; only a watery sweet drink his mother gave him before dismissing him from her sight. Of her 13 children, she singled him out for abuse, both verbal and physical, just as her mother had done to her. He lived on dumpster food, soup kitchen hand-outs, and an occasional treat that he stole or found in an occasional escape to the local movie theatre.
While one might expect that eventually this little hard-working boy from the poor barrios would end up on drugs or in prison, Al Rivera used his God-given instincts to strive for a better life. He excelled in school and sports, and eventually became the owner of a leading, award-winning masonry company.
This book is a page-turner, one that grips your attention and your heart and won’t let go. About Ghostwriter Susan Giffin A number of people ask me who Susan Giffin is and why is her name on my book. Susan is the ghostwriter of The Barefoot Shoeshine Boy. She gave me a lot of questions about my life, and I recorded my answers on tape. She then transcribed them and started to work her magic. She told me that in order to write my story convincingly, she had to become me. That’s like an actress studying to play someone else in a motion picture. The actress has to “get into character.” In Susan’s case, she had to get into the character of Al Rivera. When I first read what she had written, I was amazed at how much the story really was my story; it didn’t sound like Susan, because she had become me in writing the stories that I had told her. Susan is skilled in writing, because she knows about organization and flow of words so the story makes sense. I can build with bricks; Susan builds with words. She has been a writer almost all of her life. To date, she has written or edited more than 50 books. She writes books, but she also edits books that other people have written to make them better. We all have gifts. Susan’s gift is one of taking someone else’s words, like mine, and weaving them artfully into a story that touches the reader’s heart. The most amazing thing about this experience is that Susan and I have never met face to face, but our hearts and minds have come together to tell my story. Now you know why her name is on my book. I was proud to put it there! —Al Rivera If you would like to contact Susan to help you tell your story, you may do so by sending her an email at susan@susangiffin.com or by calling her at (313) 271-7833.