Born into a home filled with addiction, manipulation, and mendacity, a gifted child brings order out of chaos. Pulled from an alcoholic womb by legendary Sister Alphonsus, Tom Fagan begins his journey at St. Mary's Hospital in Long Beach, California. At age four he astounds his family by sitting down at the piano and playing flawlessly without having any piano lessons. At age seven he battles his father to get the family to move into the rich neighborhood of Bixby Knolls, a battle which he wins and benefits from with its culture of achievement. At Longfellow Elementary School he writes short stories so well the other students plead with the teacher to let Tom read his story rather than call on them. But at home Tom has to survive the alcoholism of his parents, and their nightly arguing, which he does by focusing on his talents. The Dionysus Trail reveals how to prevail over the confusion of the world by the use of clear thinking. Throughout the story Tom uses clear thinking to find his way through the distractions around him. The principle of clear thinking can be used by any one to succeed in spite of the sordidness of the situation. At age fifteen Tom begins to write on his own which marks the beginning of his literary purpose. In high school Fagan has to fend off his father's attempt to get him to go to the wrong college. Instead he enters the university of his choice. The addition of a St. Bernard to the family before he leaves for college provides a link of love to the family. At U.C. Irvine Tom reads voraciously and asks his professor about material beyond what was assigned for the course. The professor thinks this is remarkable enough to announce it to the class. Then Tom temporarily stops college and moves to San Francisco to pursue writing, where he falls into myriad adventures which call on clear thinking to get through. With a triumph over confusion Tom realizes the value of formal education and returns to U.C. Santa Cruz. While there the adventures continue and clear thinking turns out to be the most helpful thing in his situation as he battles a man spirited father. The technique of getting through life despite everything propels Tom to graduate. Anyone who wants to find a path through life should read this book. The method of advancing works unfailingly in challenging situations encountered by the author. His example applies to anyone needing to overcome obstacles. With the power of clear thinking, not acting rashly and holding the truth foremost, a person envisions all the alternatives needed to make the most effective decision. The Dionysus Trail presents a thought strategy that applies to the arts, to business, or to any focused endeavor that results from a motivated character. While the purpose of the world may seem at times to be to deliver frustration, we have also been gifted with a method of prevailing over that frustration. The Dionysus Trail sets the example of how people can prevail.