The rock-and-roll icon shares his inspirational journey from irrepressible Idaho farmboy to the man who formed Mötley Crüe., proving that you can overcome anything and achieve all of your goals, if only you put your mind to it.

Born Franklin Carlton Feranna, Sixx was abandoned by his father and partly raised by his mother, a woman who was ahead of her time but deeply troubled. He lived with other family before being on his own. There were dead-end jobs, and hustling to survive. At night Frank honed his craft, joining Sister, a band formed by fellow hard-rock veteran Blackie Lawless, and formed a group of his own: London, the precursor of Mötley Crüe. He changed his name, and held to his dream of being in a group that combined punk, glam, and hard rock into the biggest, most theatrical and irresistible package the world had ever seen. Here he describes how-- with hard work, passion, and some luck-- the vision manifested in reality, and he found his identity as Nikki Sixx. -- adapted from jacket