Ja-Van H YoungLessons Learned
A Father's Guide to Maneuvering the Outside World
My name is Javan Young-but my friends call me Vohn.I'm a father, artist, product designer, certified mechanic, and a proud first-generation American. I was born and raised in the North End of Bridgeport, Connecticut-a city once known for manufacturing weapons in both World Wars and later ranked among the most dangerous cities in America. I grew up surrounded by crumbling buildings, abandoned lots, and invisible opportunity.My mother immigrated from East Kingston, Jamaica, in 1982. It took her nearly 40 years to gain U.S. citizenship. What stood in her way-and still blocks so many others-was a lack of access to three essential things: trustworthy information, the ability to navigate systems and people, and real financial literacy. Those gaps are what inspired this book.At 34, I've still never seen a single resource that lays out the truth about how to survive-let alone thrive-in this system, especially for people like us who come from poverty, who are underrepresented, under-resourced, and under-protected. That's not by accident. We were taught to work hard, not work smart. We learned how to survive, not how to build wealth or protect our peace. Meanwhile, structural racism, junk fees, toxic food, and generational trauma still flood our communities.But what if we didn't have to accept that anymore?What if we learned the truth early-about credit, taxes, contracts, emotional intelligence, and legal protection? What if we passed that knowledge down and rewrote the script they handed us?This book is for the hustlers who are tired of hustling. For the parents who want to raise emotionally and financially smarter kids. For the young adults who never got the right blueprint. It's not just about changing your life-it's about realizing you were always powerful enough to do it.My mother used to say, "A person can only do their best-and that's all that can be asked of them."But I've learned: doing your best means nothing if you're doing it wrong.So here's the information we were never given. Let's do it right-together.
