STRIVER is an absorbing narrative that describes the the evolution of a man's life, from the heights of his early professional achievements, to the depths of his personal despair through family neglect, to his ultimate, inspiring self-realization. With a brilliant career as a literary critic ahead of him, Bob Balakian refuses to sacrifice his professional aspirations to his needy wife and children, resulting in a painful divorce. The dissolution of his family life is intensified by his involvement in the academic turmoil at Columbia University and the Open Admissions controversy at CCNY...