In his powerful autobiography, Reflections of Challenges and Triumphs, first-time author Lincoln Wallace offers an introspective glance into his life’s journey from suffering to triumph. Living an emotionally impoverished childhood, filled with self-abnegation and doubt, Lincoln could have gone on a downward spiral. Instead, paying heed to his own inner voice and holding fast to his dreams, he lifted himself out of the toxicity of negative beliefs and erroneous misconceptions about his personhood and his destiny - which, he ultimately discovered, only he could define. Latching on to his natural gift for the martial arts, Lincoln learned the art of respectful self-defense. Through seeking – and encountering - the best part of himself, he continuously reaches out as a guide and mentor to his admiring family members and students. He especially wants the disenfranchised, marginalized youth of our society to understand that they can lift themselves up – even if circumstances aren’t ideal or they don’t have role models to emulate, and even if they are told that they are not good enough. Such heartless criticisms – outright falsehoods - were meted upon Lincoln by his mother, who berated and downgraded him. Nonetheless, he pursued – and achieved – his objective of “becoming someone,” enriching lives in the process. “I want kids to know that if I did it, they can do it, too. What good is having experiences and gaining knowledge, if lessons can’t be shared?” the author observes. His story demonstrates that, no matter how downcast a heart may be, hope inheres in self-belief, holding one’s head high, having faith in a brighter dawn, and knowing, with every breath, that such will come.