This book has been described as a cross between Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" and Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine"! These stories follow the life of a boy named Roland McCray growing up during the massive social changes of the 1960's in a southern town that's immersed in Civil War history. Roland enjoys the things that all children do- rides his bike, flies kites, plays in the fields and woods, and catches frogs and salamanders in the creek behind his house... But Roland notices that the world he sees around him and the things adults do don't match what he'd been told in school and church. He learns that people aren't always honest and that prejudice between races and religions doesn't seem to be any different than it was a century before. Doubts grow in his developing conscience about what to believe and he's influenced by his grandfather's way of life: faith isn't a thing to be shown, the way it is at his church, but is a quiet, unwavering certainty that all things work out for the good of those who truly seek the good in life. Roland wants that same certainty his grandfather lives and begins to seek his own Path, his own way to finding the good in life and living the way God intends he should live. A nostalgic tale of a young man growing up in the south and losing his religion to find God. "Roland's imagination and empathy, the vibrant descriptions and the way the story is told immediately pulled in into Roland's life! Specifically, I enjoy Roland's ability to process situations and display his values in a very positive light. He's a sharp kid and I really love that about him. It makes it easy for me to connect with him. Roland is not perfect, but that's what makes him real to me." "Told in a lyrical style that makes the realistic life events feel like a fairy tale of a more respectful time but no less violent or judgmental time in the US South. I strongly recommend this book!" "This author opens his hands and reveals highly polished pearls-- I look forward to seeing more of young Roland McCray's story!" "There's something soothing about reading one of Roland's stories, like a reverie of my own childhood, seamlessly allowing us to stand on the fringe and enjoy watching Roland grow." "These stories are woven in such a way that you feel what Roland feels- not all lightness and brightness, but more like real life remembered in all of its shaded details."
About the Author: A lifelong resident of Virginia, Blaine Coleman majored in Religious Studies and minored in Creative Writing-fiction at Virginia Commonwealth University. He was fortunate to have studied under many excellent writing teachers at VCU, too many to name, but the most recent were author Clint McGown, to whom he credits his love of poetic prose, and bestselling author Sherri Reynolds. He now lives in a rural setting where his two dogs, a five-year old beagle named Leah and an always rambunctious beagle pup named Sage, have room to run. He spends his free time gardening, reading and writing.