I was born in Chicago, the youngest of six, the year The Beatles found America by taking a left at Greenland. In 1968 Mom kept us in the house even though we lived safely on the city's northwest side, far from the historical, social-political melee. I had just turned six in 1970 when I suffered a third degree burn missing over a month of school. I fell terribly behind and by February '72 Mom and Dad, disenchanted with the school's system, removed a few of their younger children to be home schooled. Portage Park Elementary and the Chicago Board of Education took it personally, harassing us...