Children of Las Vegas: True Stories about Growing Up in the World's Playground. Las Vegas is a much regarded city, a global celebrity for its glitter and splash, and its offer of fulfilling all your desires without any repercussions. But what happens to the people who have to grow up there? Award-winning author Timothy O'Grady lived and taught in Las Vegas for two years, and in a class he was teaching, his students began to speak of what it was like to grow up in the world's playground. They spoke of being robbed by their parents, routinely losing their homes and raising themselves while their parents pursued the addictions serviced by the city. There were overdoses, desert shoot-outs, suicides, all before high school was over. This is a collection of ten of their stories, interspersed with short essays about the city by Timothy, and portraits by highly acclaimed photographer Steve Pyke.