As a child, he was shy and seemingly invisible. Yet, David Swanson’s life has proved highly exceptional, thanks to a fire in the belly and a determination to defy expectations.

Pathologically shy and fearful of interaction with other children, Swanson knew from a young age that he wanted to live a life that would shed this invisibility as a child. The Light Seller is the story of the author’s self-promise to show the world that everyone has resources, even the over-looked kid at the back of the classroom with a modest grade point average.

Encouraged to be independent from a young age, Swanson worked on a farm in Europe as a teenager, hitch-hiked the country as a college student, and at 33, started a high-tech company that has improved the health of millions of people. Along the way, he traveled the world, did live theater, ran for the state legislature, and learned much about human kind.

Sometimes bitter, sometimes funny, occasionally sad, the story should give comfort to anyone who has ever felt diminished in the face of those more adept at drawing attention to themselves.