Some stories are born in the red clay of Georgia
and live forever in the soul.
Discover Chance
A true Southern story of family, faith, and redemption
by Roberts Essex
About the Book
A boy. A bent back. A Southern mother with more faith than the world had room for.
Chance Beginnings is the story of a boy born on a cold, rainy Southern morning into a world already in chaos. A boy with a bent back. A mother whose faith was the only thing larger than the trouble around them. A childhood spent in a small East Savannah neighborhood the author calls his Mayberry.
It is a story about how a man becomes a man. About four careers, one marriage that came apart, and a child raised alone. About faith used as a working tool, not a slogan. About the slow miracle of becoming the version of yourself your mother always saw.
Roberts Essex calls it a memoir with the flavor of Walden and Grisham and a palette somewhere between Spielberg and Disney. He wrote it in his sixties, after four decades of living the story it tells.
"No matter where you come from, your beginning does not define your ending."
Chance Beginnings is the first book in the Chance trilogy. The Search and A New Life follow.
Look Inside
A preview from Chapter One.
Step into the world of Chance Beginnings with an opening that has been called haunting, deeply personal, and quietly inspirational. A boy. A mother. A doctor’s warning. A name chosen anyway. The first pages set the tone for a true story of trauma recovery, forgiveness, and redemption that the rest of the book delivers on, chapter after chapter.
About the Author
Roberts Essex
Roberts Essex is a Savannah native who grew up in East Savannah and lived there for thirty-five years. He has spent the last four decades working as a police officer, a paramedic, a radio voice, and is now a practicing physician assistant. He has published in medical journals for years. Chance Beginnings is his first book.
His path to the page was not a straight one. After a thirteen-year marriage came apart in his mid-thirties, he found himself raising a child as a single father with no clear way forward. He prayed. He went back to college. He graduated as an English honors major. He kept working. He kept living. He waited until he was sixty something to sit down and write the book he had been carrying his whole life.
His influences are the ones he names directly. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance. Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green. He has said he wanted to write a different Savannah than those books captured. The simple life version. The version where a boy walks down the corner for a penny and a piece of grape bubble gum. The version where most of us actually grew up.
"If you want to evoke change, you have to make it."
PRAISE FOR CHANCE BEGINNINGS
Words from readers, scholars, and faith leaders
Has the Book Stayed with You?
Tell us what Chance Beginnings meant to you.
This book was written for the reader who reads slowly and remembers what they read. If Chance Beginnings has stayed with you long after the last page, share what it brought up. Your story matters here.
Chance had it rough from birth. Born prematurely, he got injured while doctors pulled him out using forceps. At an early age, he got addicted to porn, and that was his downfall. He could never quite give it up, even if it affected his relationships. It’s a very interesting story that you will enjoy.
A Pleasantly Surprising Story
I proudly “kinda” know the author. This story of his early years could be the story of a lot of us southern males
and brought back some memories of my formative years. Look forward to the next collection of his memories. Buy the book. You will enjoy it , and he rides a Harley on a sandy road so you know he needs the money !
The road less traveled…..
Chance: Beginnings presents a beautifully crafted story while navigating religion, trials, and the shifting landscape of the Deep South. The author didn’t just recount his firsthand experiences, he brought the reader along with him, as if we were his shadow in those times. He did an excellent job bringing the setting to life and communicating his thoughts and experiences. Furthermore, the attention to detail was truly remarkable. An admirable amount of care was evidentially expressed as I read through each page. Also, the characters felt especially impactful because of their flaws. With no sugarcoating, I was able to meet the characters as they were: raw, messy, and beautifully human. Robert captured them without a filter, and with respect to their complexities. Learning about Chance’s life was both fascinating and humbling. It takes courage to change in a world where people often seek to be comforted in their sin rather than be uncomfortable in their necessary transformation. We can all learn to keep God’s word in mind more as we navigate through life, as Chance did. What is particularly important to mention is that Chance’s transformation wasn’t linear. He flew, fell, flew, and fell some more. Acknowledging this highlights the reality of human nature. Still, it’s what makes this book truly remarkable. Despite falling, Chance got back up and tried again. Isn’t that the beauty of it all? You can always be better than you were yesterday, because every day is a new ‘beginning’.
An Excellent, Intriguing Read.
Experience the Story
“A story that stays with you long after the last page”
Press & Recognition
Where Chance Beginnings has been featured.
Chance Beginnings reached on the Amazon Best Sellers list for ebooks within weeks of release. The book has been featured in USA Today and covered by regional Southern media. Roberts Essex is currently on a podcast tour, with an appearance scheduled on The Your Happy Hour Podcast through The Stack Series, syndicated across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube Podcasts.
Featured Review
“A profound meditation on faith, family, and the enduring spirit of the American South.”
— Southern Living Magazine
Press & Recognition
Book Spotlight
“Roberts Essex writes with the authenticity of someone who has truly lived his story.”
— Georgia Authors Network
Featured Review
“Chance is a testament to the power of redemption and the unbreakable bonds of family.”
— Faith & Culture Review
- Awards & Honors
Featured in Southern Memoir Collections 2024
Georgia Author of the Month
Faith-Based Literature Excellence Award Nominee
Media
Follow the journey through Georgia’s heartland
For Book Clubs & Reading Groups
This is the kind of book that opens conversations the rest of us avoid.
Chance Beginnings is built for the kind of book club that goes past the snacks and into the questions. Faith, family, fathers, the South, second chances, intergenerational trauma, and the way ordinary men carry extraordinary stories. The discussion guide below was built to help your group go where the book actually wants to take you.
Discussion Questions Inside the Guide
- How does the book treat faith and healing as working tools rather than costumes? Where do you see this in your own life?
- The author calls his East Savannah neighborhood his Mayberry. What place from your childhood shaped you the same way?
- Chance's mother believed in him before he could believe in himself. Who has played that role in your life?
- The book opens with a doctor telling a young mother to prepare herself. She refuses. What does that opening tell you about resilience and overcoming tragedy?
- Roberts Essex went back to school in his late thirties after his marriage ended. How does the book handle forgiveness and redemption in his own journey?
Bring the Author to Your Group
Roberts Essex is available for virtual and in-person book club visits.
Whether your reading group meets at a kitchen table in Savannah or on a Zoom call across three time zones, Roberts Essex would love to spend time with you. Hear the stories behind the stories, ask the questions you have been carrying since chapter one, and meet the man whose life this book is built on.
Three Ways to Connect
Virtual Sessions
Thirty to forty-five minute video calls via Zoom. Available to book clubs and reading groups anywhere in the world.
In-Person Visits
Available to book clubs and reading groups based in Georgia. Roberts is a Savannah native and prefers to keep his in-person visits close to the city in which the book is set.
Signed Bookplates
Personalized signed bookplates for every member of your group. A small thing to hold on to long after the conversation ends.
Bring the Story Home
Buy the inspirational memoir about trauma and faith readers are quietly recommending to each other.
Hardcover Edition
$24.99
The collector’s edition. Built to last on a shelf next to volume two and three when the trilogy is complete.
Paperback Edition
$16.99
The everyday reader’s edition. Light, portable, easy to share.
Kindle Edition
$2.99
Start reading in under a minute. The Amazon Bestseller credential is on this format.
Also Available On
Available on Amazon and through IngramSpark. Also at Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Books a Million, and many locations on the worldwide web.