Arthur Berndt is fighting to survive his childhood, but the odds are stacked against him. He lives in two worlds-the violent one he shares with his father at home and the confused one outside his house, where he continually gets into trouble in a desperate attempt to gain acceptance at any cost.
Every day of his life Arthur finds himself trapped under the same roof with a mortal enemy-August Berndt. Though terrified of his abusive father, Arthur dares not share his fears with anyone else. Instead, on the street he becomes a follower in a desperate effort to be accepted by someone-anyone. His need to please would-be friends compel Arthur to commit antisocial acts that suck the young boy into the legal system, make him an alien in his own neighborhood and only heighten the tension and violence he endures at home. Despite further complicating his life with his own self-defeating actions, subconsciously (and on the very rare occasion consciously), Arthur rationalizes his criminal behavior-if no one cares what happens to me, why should I care about what I do to anyone else? Will Arthur keep walking on a twisted path leading to an unhappy ending, or will he be able to beat the odds and live to see his life get better? You'll be captivated by Arthur-the embodiment of the human struggle to survive.
