With humor and honesty, Two Lives: The Story of a Teacher recounts the author's years teaching high school students in rural Indiana during the late 1960s and his ongoing clashes with an administration that stifled his educational ideals. Two Lives: The Story of a Teacher recounts the author's years teaching high school students in rural Indiana during the late 1960s and his ongoing clashes with an administration that stifled his educational ideals. It follows his determined effort to challenge conformity within the school system through music, literature, and unconventional teaching methods that inspired his students. The narrative reaches its turning point when those students stage a sit-in to protest his suspension. Throughout, the author offers a candid and often humorous reflection on his struggles with authority and the critics of his eclectic teaching style. The title alludes to Doran's internal divide between his public and private selves: "I live two lives. One is Mr. with a tie. The other's me without the lie."