Outcast

OUTCAST is the story of living with severe dyslexia and redefining the road to success - not through the privilege of education, but through triumph over extraordinary obstacles. Labeled a failure by the educational system, Andrew Haigney finished last in his high school class. He never earned a college credit or read a book. Yet he carved an unlikely path into the heart of Wall Street, rising to become a senior executive at Merrill Lynch. At the peak of his career, he walked away. He and his wife sold their Beacon Hill home and took their two toddlers on a year-long journey in a custom tour bus originally built for country star George Strait. They eventually settled in rural Vermont where Andrew reinvented himself as a writer and an outspoken advocate for investor protection, challenging Wall Street from the outside after mastering it from within. For decades, Andrew painstakingly concealed his severe dyslexia behind professional excellence in a culture that prizes academic credentials. He was always waiting for that tap on the shoulder, "come with us, we know about you." Only after stepping away from his financial career did he confront and embrace the very condition that had fueled his determination. In this deeply honest upbeat memoir, Andrew shares the battles, insights, and hard-won lessons of a life spent navigating a world built for others - a testament to resilience, reinvention, and the hidden power of thinking differently.