About the Book

This novel is about a teenage boy named Wade in Texas during the Depression Era. He is going through some of the normal trials of growing up - siblings, schoolwork, bullies, romance, and embarrassing personal issues. Besides these, he is also confronted with racist attitudes toward certain Mexican-American friends he has made.

He is torn between two alternatives:

trying to deal with his conflicts in ways that come natural to him

or handling them according to his counter-cultural Christian beliefs.

A quarter of a century later, in the early 1960s, Wade is a grown man and married with two kids of his own. They, too, are seeing the effects of racial bigotry in their school against their African-American classmates. In his earlier life, Wade learned some hard lessons in standing up for what's right, even when it hurts; now he's trying to instill those principles and values into the character of his children. The moral issues dealt with in the story are as relevant today as they were eighty-five years ago.

About the Author

Michael W. Owens was born in Burnet, Texas. He currently resides in Rome, Georgia. He can't claim to be a socially-active do-gooder, championing causes that oppose social injustice, heal the sick, feed the hungry, and shelter the homeless. But he at least makes charitable contributions and is an active member of his church, New Armuchee Baptist. He's retired and enjoys spending his free time studying the Bible, reading novels, watching old movies, and singing karaoke. He also keeps busy maintaining his old house.