An excerpt from ‘Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope’
The following is excerpted from the new book “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope” by Nicholas D. Kristof ’82 and Sheryl WuDunn MBA ’86. Kevin Green struggled economically for years. He died at home, age 54, in January 2015, after suffering from diabetes, urinary issues, and liver and heart problems. So much had changed since high school when he was a sleek cross-country runner with a shining future. Shortly after mourning Kevin, our mutual friend Rick “Ricochet” Goff himself was dying after a lifetime of drink, drugs, and negligible health care. Ricochet was smart but had been expelled from school in eighth grade (as punishment for truancy!) and never recovered. Mary Mayor, Nick’s seventh-grade crush, a sweet, raven-haired girl who was the daughter of the county trapper, also had gone off the rails. Mary was smart, hard working and resourceful: When her parents moved away after her junior year of high school, she wanted to...