The story begins in California, where Johnny works as a high school teacher. A sudden fall off a ladder at his home sends him to the hospital. In a coma, Johnny begins to recall his life. In the ER, Johnny can see everything around him, but he's unable to say a word. In a coma, Johnny the main character becomes Pierre, who begins to tell a co-worker at a hospital they work at how his nine brothers and sisters struggled to grow up in Public Housing in Queens, NY. Jose, who is years younger than Pierre heard stories about how Pierre escaped drugs and poverty as a kid. Jose asked to hear all about Pierre's extraordinary life. During a timeout at the hospital, Astoria Houses is described, along with all the street games Pierre played in the housing projects he grew up in. Stickball, Tops, Ringo Lario and Checkers are all described in detail. The Big Circle is where most games started, but the entire housing projects was to be challenged. Kindergarten is described, along with his teacher, Mrs. Hunter who looked like his sisters. Dark skinned with nappy hair. Pierre describes grade school, middle school and high school. Jose asked about siblings and Aunts and Uncles and that's when war hero's, drug dealers, teachers, coaches, friends, street legends and others come to life. Cage was bad ass, as was Junior Cogger and Loops. Born into poverty, Pierre was given the green light by his mother to go outside and explore the community. Pierre took the green light comment from his mother to mean, go and do whatever you want. Just don't get arrested. After being sent to an all-boys school, Pierre is be-friended by many of his teachers who saw something in him. It was something he didn't see. Basketball skill. Most instructors at this all boys 600 Middle school were black, like Pierre and many played College basketball. Made the team manager in the 5th grade allowed Pierre to see the best in the school every day. By his 9th grade year, Pierre was the best basketball player in school. After 5 years at this special school for the toughest kids, Pierre was given a basketball scholarship to a Catholic high school in Queens. After 3 years of playing high school basketball at Mater Christi HS, Pierre won another basketball scholarship to a JC in Yuma, Az, where in two years, his team won the region both years. After two years at AWC in Yuma, Arizona, Pierre won another basketball scholarship to Chapman College in Orange, California. After college, a career in education would last another 34 years. It was years before retiring that the idea of writing this story took hold of Pierre's every thought. The idea of building a new center in Astoria Houses started to take on a real idea. I began to write down what it would take to build a new community center in Astoria Houses. I could do it with the help of my best friends. In a coma still, Pierre explains to his co-worker how he recruits his best friends to help build a community center.