THIS FIRST-EVER MEMOIR about life with a cleft palate will have you crying and cheering at the same time.

Karl Schonborn's silver tongue is locked away for years by clefts that make his face asymmetrical and his speech unclear. Bullies attack him for being different, an outsider, and for being sidelined from sports due to a medical condition.

Doctors, speech therapists, and his own determination give him a shot at his dream of becoming a debate star and attending an elite college on scholarship. Amid the American tumult during Karl's youth, his own personal experiences with violence lead him to study how nonviolence can solve problems in all kinds of situations.

Schonborn's coming-of-age story recounts his friendship with a famous singer, his war resistance, two intertwined love stories, and an unexpected around-the-world odyssey. After all this-and an unspeakable tragedy in his family-Schonborn realizes everyone feels like an outsider at some point in their life.