Surviving Yourself: A Life of Rhythm, Survival, and Redemption Paperback – February 10, 2026

From Wheeler Avenue to World Stages At eleven years old in the Bronx, Billy Fajardo learned that survival required more than strength—it required rhythm. From his grandmother's stories of Puerto Rican revolutionaries to the dangerous streets of 1227 Wheeler Avenue, Billy found his identity in movement, in music, and in the raw pulse of salsa. But the same streets that taught him to dance also taught him to destroy himself. Heroin, needles, jail cells, Venezuelan prisons, two near-fatal overdoses—Billy's life became a brutal cycle of stages and syringes, applause and abandonment. From the Bronx to the World is an unflinching memoir of addiction, culture, and redemption. It's the story of a boy who watched his grandmother rock in her chair and learned dignity. A teenager who found family in martial arts dojos and dance floors. A man who lost everything to heroin and clawed his way back one honest step at a time. From performing at the Roseland Ballroom to collapsing on Bronx pavement. From Rikers Island to Blackpool, England. From rock bottom to teaching salsa across five continents. This is not a fairy tale. This is survival. This is culture. This is the truth. Read more