All of these stories are about real people, and I’ve tried to accurately represent what they’ve told me. That being said, I acknowledge that parts of them, perhaps entire ones, may be made up by the teller. It’s also impossible to uncover everything a person has to tell during roughly an hour’s time. But my focus is less on capturing the completely accurate truth, and more on revealing the story each person chooses to tell. I can’t confirm the veracity of each claim, but I want to honor them all. I can confirm my most sincere efforts in telling only what I observe and what each person has said. They reflect how each teller has chosen, for the time we are together, to see himself and his place in the world.

I often use pseudonyms to protect the privacy of the individuals with whom I speak.