Every day, in every city in the world, people climb into cabs, but how much thought do they really give to the driver? How much do they know about their story, their lives, and their abilities?

In his native Nigeria, Chuck Okofor earned a master's degree and taught English literature and English as a second language. In the early 1990s, his family immigrated to the United States with their four young children. His wife worked as a nurse, and Chuck cared for their children during the day. Out of necessity, Chuck took what he thought would be a temporary job as a cab driver, but he grew...