We can better prepare children for the adversities that will come their way.

Today, Dr. Robert A. Martinez is an accomplished author, public speaker, and education leader blessed with a loving family. But he’s well aware that the trajectory of his life could have gone another way. After his idyllic childhood was shattered at the age of twelve by his mother’s death from cancer, his home and school life fell apart. With his brokenhearted father unable to hold things together, the boy’s rebellious behavior culminated in a devastating rupture. With the patient mentorship of his brother and his own inner fortitude, Martinez built his life back step by step, eventually achieving success, happiness, forgiveness, and reconciliation. In this inspirational memoir, the author uses his own experiences to exhort others toward a life of personal and professional fulfillment, following his “recipe for resilience.”

While the book focuses on how educators can positively impact young students—especially at-risk youth in challenging environments—Martinez also encourages adopting these resilience principles beyond the classroom and school district into all our relationships, businesses, and local communities, ultimately improving society as a whole. In doing so, we might manifest a more hopeful, humanistic world for ourselves and future generations, where ideals like love, empathy, support, and safety become not just aspirations but lived reality.