Carry On: A Story of Resilience, Redemption, and an Unlikely Family

Christopher Award Winner • Friends of American Writers Award Winner • Nautilus Award Winner • NAACP Image Award Finalist

After seeing a newspaper photo of two wrestlers from one of Cleveland's tougher public high schools, ESPN producer Lisa Fenn followed a hunch and flew back to her hometown to meet the boys. Leroy Sutton, who lost his legs in a childhood train accident, could often be found riding on the back of Dartanyon Crockett, who was legally blind and had no permanent home. Initially drawn together by their handicaps, the boys had developed a brother-like bond and cheerful friendship, even in the face of innumerable hardships and poverty.

As Lisa filmed an ESPN feature on Leroy and Dartanyon's extraordinary friendship, she grew to understand the suffering they had endured, and she fought for their trust. The three formed a surprising and profound connection?and once the taping stopped, Lisa knew she couldn't just walk away. She resolved to give Leroy and Dartanyon the chance they deserved, and embarked on a journey that tested their individual resolve while strengthening the bonds between them.

Carry On is a powerful memoir about an unlikely family forged through barriers of race, class, and disability. It is a story of grit, love, hope, and faith?and the courage to persevere, even in the most extraordinary circumstances.