Paul Alexander is dying. His doctor has given him, at best, a few short weeks to live. Paul doesn't want to die, but he's in his early seventies and has battled cancer for the last few years. It seems his time has come.
While his wife arranges one last family reunion, Paul visits his family home in the mountains, returning to the blue ribbon trout stream, trails, and waterfalls he loves. In the house, he finds a collection of sixty letters he wrote during his military service in Alaska.
Reading his words from so long ago summons up memories-some good, some heartbreaking. Paul remembers the guilt that came from serving stateside during the Vietnam War. He recalls the woman who won and broke his heart and the best friend whose death in Vietnam still shapes his life. Revisiting these moments through letter-inspired flashbacks, Paul finds hope for the future and peace for whatever may come.
A powerfully moving account of one man's life, Voices from the River was inspired by author John David Fischer's discovery of his own letters from the Vietnam era, recalling what it felt like to see his younger self's thoughts laid out on paper.
About the Author: Born on December 11, 1942, John David Fischer grew up in a town similar to the one featured in Voices from the River. After graduating Chico State University, he taught one year of high school English before serving in the military in Alaska.
After his military service, Fischer taught high school English for thirty-one years while coaching baseball and football. Always active, Fischer enjoys baseball, alpine skiing, long-distance running, and hiking. He has published nonfiction books on football, ultrarunning, and skiing; Voices from the River is his first novel.
Fischer lives in Visalia, California, with a second home in Dunsmuir, California.
