A memoir by AR Peterson

What aWolf Eats

From foster child to foster parent.

"Either you're a wolf or you're a sheep. If you're not a wolf, then you're prey."The first lesson my stepfather ever taught me

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Chapter 1

Wolf or Prey

I walked up to Zay and said, "I need my gloves back."

He didn't even look at me.

"And if I don't give 'em back, what you gonna do about it?"

I could hear my stepfather's voice. He wasn't even home that night, and he was still the loudest man on the block: You're either a wolf or you're prey. Stand on business. Don't be no punk.

"I'm not leaving without them."

You know that silence when everyone suddenly decides to stop breathing? It got so quiet you could hear a rat piss on cotton. I took off my North Face, folded it onto the curb like I was about to do something noble, and squared up.

What I remember is this: a fist. Heat flooding my ears. Another fist. My mouth tasted like pennies. I threw a few punches. One landed clean.

I lost. Anyone who was there will tell you so.

But when it was over, Zay handed me my gloves.

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The book

What a wolf eats to survive. What survival eats away.

That was the first lesson my stepfather ever taught me, and I spent most of my life trying to figure out whether he was right.

I grew up poor in Lemon Grove, outside San Diego, and spent part of my childhood in foster care. I learned to fight, to hustle, and to sell, and I learned what it costs. I went through the streets, jail, and being homeless more than once, including nights sleeping in my car with my son.

This is the truth about all of it, and the God who kept finding me in the dark.

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Paperback, 6 × 9160 pagesKindle coming soon

51sections, a nod to 51st Street

13years behind bars he was facing at seventeen

24jobs, from sweeping a parking lot to district manager

1baptism certificate that got him back across the border

"If God can use me, He can use you."AR Peterson

About the author

Not a wolf. Not a sheep.

AR Peterson grew up on Westview Place in Lemon Grove, just outside San Diego, and he's from 51st Street in East Daygo.

He spent part of his childhood in foster care, and before he was grown, he'd been through the streets, jail, and homelessness more than once.

He made it out by finding a legal place to be good at the hustle. He went from selling shoes on commission to sales and management roles in the wireless industry, and he still trains people with the lessons he learned on the sales floor.

He is the father of two sons. In 2024, he went back to finish his high school diploma, the first step on his way to college.

He guides blind runners with Achilles most Wednesdays, plays Black Santa at Christmas toy drives, and in 2026 became a foster parent himself.

His message is simple: if God can use him, God can use you.

Speaking

Bring the story to your room.

Wolf, Sheep, or Shepherd

The lesson he was raised on, what it cost, and why he ended up choosing a third way: leading people to the Shepherd.

Churches · Men's groups · Youth nights

From the System to the Stage

Foster care, the streets, and the people who gave him a chance he hadn't earned. For anyone who thinks their story is already written.

Foster youth · Schools · Nonprofits

The Hustle, Made Legal

How the instincts he learned on the block made him a top salesman and a manager, and how to put your past to work.

Sales teams · Re-entry programs · Workforce

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Booking and inquiries

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For groups

Free discussion guide

Twelve questions for book clubs, churches, classrooms, and foster-care and youth groups. One page, free to copy and share.

Get the guide (PDF)