A child five years old does not normally ponder how he would learn "all the stuff" needed to be loved by a family that he would create far in the future, become a role model like his kindergarten teacher Mrs. Clark or be a true friend to some of those that he would meet much later. How that happens is unique to all of us. For one young boy it was a fortunate set of circumstances that built a foundation of experience, education and values, which provided him with opportunities for establishing his family, career and friendships. But, what happens when much that you believe in and hope for is counter to the prevailing attitude and actions of others? The larger the divide the greater the juxtaposition for all those involved. Although, as a young adult, he felt well-prepared to meet most challenges, he struggled to find balance between family, work and friends. "I understood that there were still other components, like religious faith and charity, but perhaps they often seemed less significant in my own immediate search for balance, and above all else, survival. Dismissing the significance of faith and charity so early was a mistake." His journey through five twentieth century decades and encounters with some sixty characters within seven countries sometimes resulted in moral compromise. The events in "My Juxtaposition" seldom created personal affirmation for our central character and drove others to self-destruction. In the end, his determination prevailed as he would not allow himself to become just another Willy Loman, the desperate character in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman."
About the Author: Jeffrey Francis Krizan was born in New York City. He graduated from Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, New Jersey in the sixties and from Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia in the seventies. He attended graduate school at West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia. During the next thirty-five years Mr. Krizan became a serial entrepreneur and founder or co-founder of ten companies. His second fiction novel was published in 2017; "All That We Ever Knew." Other publications include poetry, song lyrics and a college coursebook. He now resides in Cross Junction, Virginia. Mr. Krizan is a Mensa Life Member and worships at Winchester Church of God.