Chance: Beginnings

He was born broken. Bruised, early, and barely breathing. But life had other plans for Chance Brogdon.

Chance is not just a memoir; it's a window into a world many remember but few talk about with this kind of raw honesty. Set in the Deep South during one of America's most turbulent eras, this unforgettable book follows a boy raised in poverty, shaped by faith, and tossed between survival and hope at every turn.

From a rain-soaked shack in rural Georgia to a life carved out with grit, heartbreak, and grace, Chance's story is deeply personal yet strikingly familiar. He grows up amid segregation, war, family fights, societal shifts, and spiritual awakenings. But through it all-illness, tragedy, rebellion, and redemption-he never stops pushing forward.

Told with humor, grit, and a sharp memory for detail, Roberts Essex captures what it meant to grow up in America when values were strict, struggles were real, and nothing came easy. This is a story about good men making bad choices, broken families trying to stay whole, and a boy who keeps asking the same question: Why me, and what now?

If you've ever questioned your path, felt like an outsider in your own family, or fought to find meaning in the mess of it all, this book will feel like home.

Chance is for every reader who knows that the real stories aren't polished...they're lived.