This is the story of a young woman's struggle for education though homelessness, health problems, and neighborhood violence. Volunteers from the Fourth World Movement first met the Russell family through their Home Library and Street Library programs. Germaine, the eldest daughter in this African American family, is the focus of this profile. The pages that follow are an echo of the steps Maryvonne Caillaux took alongside her from August 1995 to June 1999. Through her strengths, and in spite of the difficulties, Germaine is proof that a meeting between people, if it is not overtaken by discouragement but rather grows from confidence and hope, can open new roads to the future.

This book is dedicated to the children of the Street Library of New Orleans who dream of a peaceful world.