Intrusions of Chance : Autobiography of K.O. Harrop from Penury to PhD

This is the author's autobiography from birth to when he started his professional career. As stated in the book, from the beginning, his chances were pretty slim. His chances increased with each gamble his mother made. His mother took a chance to move to the bushes of Smythfield to live in a hut built of tar drums by his father, gambling that the financial situation would get better. His mother taught herself to sew and took a chance to invest all the money she had in a used foot pedal sewing machine, believing that she could develop a clientele. His mother totally ignored his dying father's advice to take him out of high school, and took a chance that despite the fees and books they would be okay. His mother took the chance in supporting him for over a year until he got a job befitting his high school graduate status. His mother took a chance that she would be okay after she stopped getting his contribution when he took a four month student visa to the USA.