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出版Phyllis Scott Publishing, 2011-07
主題Fiction / Short Stories (single author)
ISBN06155118059780615511801
URLhttp://books.google.com.hk/books?id=4QsUYAAACAAJ&hl=&source=gbs_api
註釋People change, that's a given. People look back at the experiences of their lives differently with time, that's also a given. The stories in this slender volume each look back on various life-changing youthful experiences. Some look back on the events of young adulthood, others look back on the events of childhood from the perspective of young adulthood. What these stories share in common is their insightful exploration of the often unanticipated twists of fate that shape our lives. These explorations of personal history are what the ancient philosopher Socrates would describe as triumphs of the examined life. Fred Phillips opens the volume with "Zero-Sum World," a story both as pessimistic and as optimistic as any piece of literature ever penned. Phillips watches a cynical old drunk sip away his life-and his young friend's money-in a self-pitying life of televised baseball games and around-the-clock beer-guzzling. However, not even this life is exhausted by what a casual observer might conclude about it. Perhaps goodness and an ironic sense of justice will spring from the grave. Gary Dean Jennings and Bryan Valera each looks back on the care-free days of an uninhabited youth. Jennings's "Where the Mod Look Began" looks back upon the days which preceded his army service, neither praising nor condemning his own indulgences in the impulses of youth. Valera's retrospective on the early 90s reminds the reader that one never knows where the future may lead people. "One Classic Mission" delightfully reveals the beach life in San Diego and invites the reader to reconsider the people who are most easily dismissed by the dominant, status-conscious, elements of society. Sometimes, our humanity is found in our willingness to defy common sense in order to respect our common humanity.Samuel Madson's "Tiny Hearts" affords the reader a nostalgic look back on the unlikely outcomes of a college romance. Things may begin with too much drinking and too little nobility, but it's amazing what can develop from even the shakiest of foundations. Kimberly D. King's "Hound Dog" reminds us that not all parents are perfect. In fact, maybe no parents are perfect, but even the most emotionally stunned and intellectually stagnant of parents have dreams for their children. This mother longs for her children to have one final glimpse at the King of Rock-n-Roll, Elvis Presley. Our final story, Jason Petersen's "Sadman," allows a more seasoned and more mature man to reflect upon the complex dynamics of college courtship. The gracious angels of an aging mind bless the misguided wanderings of a hormone-crazed, alcohol-obsessed, young man with some lasting insights-not exactly a "live-happily-ever-after" story, but insightful nonetheless. As always, these stories have won the highly competitive Phyllis Scott short story contest. We are thrilled to bring these emerging authors to our readers! Phyllis Scott, series editor