Golden was raised in East Los Angeles, where gun shots in the night attract little attention. It’s no wonder his novels have all been about underdogs. As a young man, Golden wrote for the Los Angeles Examiner, Rafu Shimpo (a Japanese-language newspaper), and La Opinion, (a Spanish-language newspaper.) After college, he put aside his dreams of becoming a major league baseball player, and instead took jobs coaching underdog teams at the high school and college levels. He continued his professional life by founding a company that helped fired executives rebuild their careers. Whether as a coach, businessman, or novelist, Golden has always been obsessed with the factors that drive human achievement.