"Young Negro boy, what will you do when time makes you a man? Will you miss the mark or fight to hold your stance?"

Those words, stated by an eighth-grade history teacher, became the mantra for author James V. Ellis. In "Triumphs, Tragedies, and Tears," part one of his memoirs, Ellis provides a full account of his life and career and highlights about his work-from growing up as a little boy on welfare without a father, to working as a respected physician and becoming a dedicated husband and father, to his suicide attempt, and short prison term.

The story of a boy who dreamed big,...

"Young Negro boy, what will you do when time makes you a man? Will you miss the mark or fight to hold your stance?"

Those words, stated by an eighth-grade history teacher, became the mantra for author James V. Ellis. In "Triumphs, Tragedies, and Tears," part one of his memoirs, Ellis provides a full account of his life and career and highlights about his work-from growing up as a little boy on welfare without a father, to working as a respected physician and becoming a dedicated husband and father, to his suicide attempt, and short prison term.

The story of a boy who dreamed big,...