english: One might think reading these books -- and I've gotten thousands of letters about them by people who do think this -- that, based on my life's history as I portray it in the books, my early life's history, I am someone who has overcome adversity, that I am someone who has drunk -- drank? -- drunk of the bitter dregs of near-disaster in childhood and emerged not just unscathed but strengthened.
non_english: Neko bi pomislio čitajući ove knjige - a dobio sam hiljade pisama o njima od ljudi koji zaista ovo misle - da zasnovano na istoriji mog života  kao što sam opisao u knjigama, istorija mog ranog života, ja sam neko  ko je prevazišao nesreću. A to je da sam ja, neko ko je pijan, pio, pije gorak talog zamalo katastrofalnog detinjstva, isplivao ne samo nepovređen već i ojačan.