Alton Carter, a former foster child and police officer, will discuss his new book, The Boy Who Carried the Bricks, at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This event is free of charge and is open to the public.

Abandoned by his father, neglected by his mother, shuttled between foster homes and a boys ranch for most of his formative years, a young man refuses to succumb to the fate that the world says should be his. Alton Carter does not mince words as he describes a childhood full of violence and hunger and neglect.

Early on, Alton decides he wants a “normal life”—even if that means standing up to abusive relatives and being teased by his siblings and cousins. Along the way, he keeps an eye out for those who might help lighten the load, never losing hope that such people exist. He was the first person in his family to graduate from high school and college.

Now the director of youth ministries for the First United Methodist Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State University alum has dedicated his life to working with young people. In April of 2015, his debut book, The Boy Who Carried Bricks, was published by The RoadRunner Press. The nonfiction title won the 2016 Oklahoma Book Award.

In 2015, Carter founded the Alton Carter Inspire Foundation with the goal of assisting young people who have lived in foster care, group homes, or DHS juvenile facilities in securing a college degree. A percentage of the book sales from The Boy Who Carried Bricks goes to this cause.

For more information regarding this event, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.