"I did not have the best of starts... No one would have said I was dealt a winning hand."

Big Boys Don't Cry records how Willie McCarney played the hand he was dealt. Experiencing the deep trauma of his mother's death at an early age, he recounts how he also experienced freedom, success and responsibility as a child, learning how to deal with it all to become the master of his own destiny.

As a child, Willie found himself embracing education as a way to break free from the poverty of his childhood and to build a better future for himself. Graduating as a teacher in 1961, Willie assumed he had reached the pinnacle of his career. He never dreamt that one day he would be training teachers. He could never have imagined that he would later spend 33 years as a magistrate. And he certainly never contemplated travelling to Melbourne, Australia to be elected President of the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates, but Willie achieved all this and more!

Big Boys Don't Cry charts how Willie reached each milestone in his life – documenting how the opportunities arose, as well as detailing the many different things he has been involved in, including travelling the world on behalf of the UN. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy autobiographies, as well as those who have an interest in the success stories of ordinary people.