Permission to Dream

On a bitterly cold day in Chicago, businessman Gardner takes his granddaughter to a music shop to buy her the harmonica of her dreams. What might have been a simple errand becomes a transformative exploration of the power of dreams, which Gardner retells in this work of narrative nonfiction. In the tradition of oral storytelling, Gardner, along with co-author Rivas, easily weaves history, spirituality, and philosophy into biographical stories shared in conversation with his granddaughter. Believing in and pursuing his dreams helped the author survive a troubled childhood and inspired him to join the navy, which in turn led to a career in finance. Gardner’s dreams also helped him get through a difficult period of single fatherhood while experiencing homelessness, as detailed in his previous best-selling work, The Pursuit of Happyness. By sharing his experiences with his granddaughter, he realizes what his own next step in life should be—to become a motivational speaker for young people—and is able to start to heal from the experience of his longtime partner’s recent death.