Sometimes the most intriguing life stories come from seemingly insignificant people. Shy, quiet Andy French, always the underdog, is just such a person-and what a story he has to tell.

He begins his life during the Great Depression. His family is poor-and his home life poorer-but he's surrounded by uncles, cousins, gang members, and soldiers able to teach him how to survive in the meanest of times: by not asking too many questions.

For example, when Andy needs money, he takes on a number of odd jobs. The completely aboveboard ones, like picking crops and working in ice...