The trauma of being abandoned by their mother sets the stage for three children who met their father for the first time when they traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey from Baltimore, Maryland. Their mother walked out of their lives after the train ride from Baltimore. A Dickens of A Life recounts the journey of the three children who first boarded with families in Atlantic City and Port Republic, New Jersey, later becoming wards of the state moving from one home to another before finally settling with foster parents in the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey. Told through the eyes of the author, Daniel, the memoir depicts bright and dark moments and his coming of age, rising to become an accomplished educator. The biographical memoir is told, in part, through a collection of personal and student writings deftly woven into an inspiring narrative as the author wrestles with the question of how a mother could abandon her children.

Riding on a train from Baltimore to Atlantic City, New Jersey, a young boy holds an orange cellophane peanut butter cracker wrapper to the light, foreshadowing a change in his future and that of his companions, an older sister and a younger brother. What lies ahead is a challenging journey for the three children whose mother, traveling with them, abandons them at the end of the train ride. A non-fiction biographical memoir, A Dickens of A Life, is a true story highlighting the impact of abandonment and the influence of education and the foster care system. It is an amazing story of survival and personal accomplishment involving the children being separated, at times, as they faced the uncertainty of tomorrow, never knowing whether it would be another moving day into a different home. Told through the eyes of the author, Daniel, the memoir depicts bright and dark moments and his coming of age, rising to become an accomplished educator. The memoir is told, in part, through a collection of personal writings of the author deftly woven into an inspiring narrative as the author and his siblings wrestle with the question of how a mother could abandon her children.

Daniel N. Walters did his undergraduate work at Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, and earned his master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He spent over forty years in education as a teacher and supervisor and was the recipient of numerous citations recognizing his achievements. An avid lover of the arts, he himself is a poet and a musician. He has dedicated his memoir to several people, among them Hilda S. Frame, a teacher in the two-room grammar school he attended in Southern New Jersey. For him, she was his most inspirational teacher. Growing up as a foster child and ward of the state, he has written a memoir recounting hardships and successes in the face of adversity and abandonment. A Dickens of A Life is told, in part, through a collection of personal writings deftly woven into an inspiring narrative as the author wrestles with the question of how a mother could abandon her children. Dr. Dan, as he was known by his colleagues, retired from the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District in 2005 as a supervisor of five departments at Absegami High School in Galloway Township, New Jersey. Honored for his years of service, an honorary wall in the Absegami building was dedicated to him. He resides in Margate, New Jersey with his wife, Maria.