Shaping Heroes

Nineteen-year-old Ray Matthews, an American Legion Baseball player, is full of talent—and full of himself. He’s about to be signed by the Chicago Cubs when he’s beaned by a pitch. His future hangs in the balance as he realizes that he could lose his job at Mt. Rushmore and his baseball career forever.

Set in Rapid City, South Dakota, during the construction of Mt. Rushmore, E Dee Merriken weaves a Depression-era story with characters struggling, striving, and dreaming in the shadow of the great monument. As the citizens of Rapid City shape their future leaders, the carvers on Mt. Rushmore are shaping America’s heroes. With tinges of humor and fantasy along with murder and suspense, Merriken’s coming of age novel offers readers a truly inspiring, sometimes harrowing, yet always compelling story that will stay with readers long after the cover is closed.