THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS DOESN’T TEACH EASY LESSONS Marcus McMain had to learn life lessons the hard way while growing up in one of the most dangerous housing projects in New Orleans. Nothing had come easy for him or his mom after his dad was sentenced to life in prison for killing the gang members who murdered his eldest son. Unchallenged, unmotivated, and without a true mentor in his life, he seemed destined to become another big city statistic until Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region leaving him hopeless and homeless. Displaced, Marcus has to find himself and success if he is to return to New Orleans to make a difference in the city he feels will always be home.