Up from the Fields

Although John H. Bailey II’s father attained only a third-grade education, he imparted an important message to his son: you only fail when you stop trying. This is a piece of advice that Bailey II followed diligently throughout his life.

In Up from the Fields, Bailey narrates his life story against the backdrop of his unflappable faith in God—following him from his birth on a Mississippi plantation, where as a boy, he watched the crop dusters and dreamed of flying a plane one day. This memo...