Boys of Summer

In the darkness, Mike slid over the side of the ship and into the water. Without knowing the direction, he swam away from the ship, into the darkness, hoping not to hear the sound of a rifle or the pain of its report. Without knowing where he was, Mike hoped he was swimming for shore, hoping he would not end up as fish food. He had escaped the Yankees.

This is a story of how our country grew and how we grow—a story of hard work, hard thinking, and true love. Sometime before the Civil War, two families grow together and become part of that era's American dream. The book will show them loving, living, and celebrating. It will also show the sadness of separation and death, the unforgettable pain of not knowing where someone is or what happened to them. But worst, the wrenching pain of not being able to help someone you love.

Witness the lives of two families become one. Witness the boys of summer, sun, and youth enter the turbulence of life's winter. No, not that they should grow old in years, but life has a winter for all, and for some, it comes early and is brutal. Hope is down the road, we know—or leastwise, we believe there will be spring. The sun will warm us, and all will be well.