Ascending the Staircase is a collection of essays exploring the topic of growth. Each essay connects my personal connections with some kind of American relation and American written or drawn image. Ascending the Staircase is the title of these collections of essays because each essay discusses growing up and taking another step. Some essays discuss getting through barriers while others just connect with a single person making changes in their own life to grow. To read the first essay, take the first step by pressing the Table of Contents button to start your journey.