In her debut novel, Patricia Wood writes about a man with an IQ of 76 who has had more than his fair share of hard knocks. At a point when he is truly grieving, fate grants him the boon implied from the title of this uplifting novel - he wins $12 million in the lottery. He attempts to forge his own path as he navigates through relationships with money-grubbing family members bent on taking advantage of him, friends who treat him the same whether he has money or not, and the townspeople who develop a new respect for him because of his newly acquired millionaire status.

One might compare this book and the main character to Forrest Gump, with his shining optimism despite his below average IQ. The book is written in deliberately simple sentences, appropriate for the first person viewpoint of Perry L. Crandall, who describes himself as "not retarded" just "slow." Surprisingly, this unusual writing style is not a setback; it allows for an authentic depiction of Perry's perspective. For example, when a friend tells him that they don't have all day, Perry thinks, "...that is funny because we do. We do have all day."

Regardless of his intelligence score, Perry's reflections and reactions are both sincere and wise. According to his saucy grandmother, Gram, his middle initial "L" stands for "Lucky." "She always called me lucky and honest. Being honest means you don't know any better," reflects Perry in the prologue.

Perry's caring and thoughtful disposition through his trials as well as his good fortune set the tone for this poignant story, and his intuitively frank words will stick with you long after you have finished reading.