Book excerpt: From the jungles of Vietnam, to divorce courts, mental wards and alcoholic detox units of Virginia, to the showrooms of Chrysler, to corporate boardrooms of America, You Had to Be There shares the hilarious and often tragic life story of author Gene Gorman. In this memoir, Gorman narrates how he overcame a host of struggles, including addiction to alcohol, before becoming one of the most successful sales and management consultants and used car dealership owners in the country. From his birth in Brooklyn, New York, in 1946, to meeting his life-saving mentor, he offers details of his financial success journey based on how he followed the simple principles of fairness and faith in God. You Had to Be There provides a true account of how Gorman, an average man, overcame personal failure to achieve unlikely success. It offers a message of hope to others who have faced lifes challenges fueled by circumstances beyond their control, poor decisions, or any type of addiction.