the book heads each chapter with a photograph and contains several poems that johnson wrote as a child while enduring his captivity. at several metaphorical intervals, johnson writes prose that reads like poetry. dr. mary clisbee, established educator of special needs children, writes the foreword and rev. f. robert brown, johnson's chaplain while at the lyman school, writes the afterword. rev. "bob" brown later worked for the newly formed dys helping correct its horrific past.