From brass knuckle beatdowns on the schoolyard to showdowns with the SEC on the national news, every second of Deaton’s life has been a fight for survival. This book is the raw, wild John Deaton story, straight from the source. Born in one of the worst neighborhoods in Detroit--the kind of place the city cordoned off with warning signs--and growing up surrounded by hustlers, addicts, abusers, gang bangers, and the downtrodden, Deaton became a fighter, with violence becoming second nature.

Deep down, however, all he wanted was to escape. Deaton’s escape would take him to law school, where he starved and battled cancer while his peers lived off privilege. He became a marine, an attorney, a millionaire, and a father--but the unexamined trauma from his past haunted and nearly broke him. This memoir is Deaton’s confession, his exorcism, and his proclamation to fellow survivors: Don’t give up. Our birth is not our fate. We make our own fate.

Food Stamp Warrior is written with the depth of setting found in Hillbilly Elegy and the razor-sharp, unpretentious voice of Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. In a time of uncertainty and economic instability, Deaton's story is one of perseverance, resilience, and empowerment.