Barefoot, Broke, and Brilliant

About the Book

In Barefoot, Broke, and Brilliant, George Carter reaches back into his childhood in Big Vein and Pocahontas, Virginia, coal mining towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Born June 1, 1931, his life is affected by the Great Depression and the grinding poverty wrought as the Nation struggles with economic forces and political activities. The relative isolation of the mountain hamlets lends a layer of protection to the residents whose activities center around the deadly coal mines.

      Barefoot, Broke, and Brilliant is a humorous look at daily life as well as stories of fear, compassion, and love. His inner thoughts and feelings paint a portrait of a child that develops into a young man who is unprepared for the world he ventures into by joining the USAF. He admits that he never left the train on the way to basic training in San Antonio because he was afraid he couldn’t find his way back.

His life footsteps become what Joseph Campbell calls “a hero’s journey.”

     Author Bernard Selling says, “George is the only student I have who imagines and writes about his own birth.” Travel along with George from Big Vein to Honolulu.

About the Author

      George Carter escaped from a coal mining town in Virginia through an Air Force career that saw him rise from Private to Major. He served in Texas, Wyoming, Guam, California, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, the Pentagon, SAC Headquarters in Omaha, and eight years in Hawaii, including three years on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command. He earned a B.A. in Economics and has done graduate work in Chinese/Japanese History. Retiring at 39, he owned an art gallery in Hawaii and worked for the National Federation of Independent Business. He served three years on the International Board of Sertoma and in 1972 founded the Serteens Club of Hawaii, an organization of highly gifted high school students. In February of 2005, the club was renamed the George B. Carter Serteens Club, to honor George for more than 30 years of service. He lives in West Hills, California, with his wife and daughter.