Woodfiber Dreams

World War II. The Korean Conflict. Vietnam. For three long decades Americans came of age against a constant backdrop of war and conflict. In "Woodfiber Dreams," James Stark presents thirteen tales from these turbulent decades-an era when war, fear, racism, and social expectations combined to rob a nation's youth of their childhood.

Within these pages, you'll meet Davey, a ten-year-old boy equipped with a knife and trained dog, as he provides for his mother in his father's absence during the Korean War. You'll encounter Billy, a housing project kid grappling to reconcile his new found friendship with an African American boy with the bigotry of his WWII-veteran father. And you'll discover Johnny, main character of the titular "Woodfiber Dreams," a young man trying to take on his absent WWII veteran father's responsibilities as he humors his mother's latest get-rich-quick scheme.

From the rowdy bars of an Alaskan fishing town to the lawlessness of hobo villages, the boys, girls, and youths of Stark's stories have little choice but to adapt as reality dismantles their hopes and expectations. This is the world of "Woodfiber Dreams," in many respects, a past not so different from our present.