War in October

I grew up in Pleasant Lake, Indiana. Like most of small town America, it was homey, beautiful, complacent, and really into John Mellencamp. I like each of these enough, but I had to leave. I went to Indianapolis for college; it was my first time living in a city bigger than 1,000 people. I learned about parking meters and traffic, but I also became involved with community organizing, most notably as a member of a union campaign for university cafeteria workers. I hit the underground for a year before I resurfaced as a public school math tutor in Denver, Colorado. One day, while listening to Killer Mike preach about The Grind, I decided I could write a better book than most I've read. War in October is that book, and you should read it.