Bøger af Walter Stoffel

Arthur Berndt is an eleven-year-old boy growing up on 1950s Long Island. His life revolves around one, overriding task: surviving under the same roof with his abusive father August.In response to the world he is trapped in at home, outside his house he lives a life that consists of equal parts delinquency and isolation. Only in school has Arthur found a measure of normalcy. There, he is succeeding academically and has found a measure of predictability and stability that exists nowhere else for the youngster. Over the years of his short life, Arthur has gradually gained a sense that he isn't growing up like other children. This awareness has only increased his self-consciousness-and anger. The self-consciousness has led to keeping secrets, both about himself and his family. Arthur is driven to hide who he is and where he is from. He spends much of his time in the nearby woods, finding there a measure of safety and anonymity that he desperately craves. As for his anger, he acts out on the streets, fearing the rest of the world less than he does his father.Arthur has been headed down the wrong road since he could walk. It remains to be seen if someone will come to Arthur's rescue and point him in the right direction.

Young Arthur Berndt is fighting to survive his childhood but the odds are stacked against him. He lives in two worlds-the violent one he shares with his father at home and the confused one outside his house, where he continually gets into trouble in a futile attempt to gain acceptance at any cost. Every day of his life Arthur finds himself trapped under the same roof with a mortal enemy-August Berndt. Though terrified of his abusive father, Arthur dares not reveal his fears to anyone else. Instead, on the street, he becomes a follower in his desperate effort to be accepted by someone-anyone. His need to please would-be friends compels Arthur to commit antisocial acts that suck the young boy into the legal system, make him an alien in his own neighborhood and only heighten the tension and violence he endures at home. Despite further complicating his life with his own self-defeating actions, subconsciously( and on the very rare occasion consciously), Arthur rationalizes his criminal behavior, telling himself that if no one cares what happens to him, why should he care about what he does to anyone else? Is Arthur doomed to meet the dark fate he seems headed for or will he live to see his life get better? You'll be captivated by Arthur-the embodiment of the human struggle to survive.

"What would you do if there was a dog in your neighborhood forced to live outside day in/day out, at the mercy of abusers, wild animals and brutal weather? [The author] does nothing--at first. Then, an accidental meeting with Lance, a Border Collie, sets the wheels in motion for a down-to-the-wire, life-saving rescue and a disappointing discovery: Lance turns out to be a threat to anyone he can get his teeth on--including his rescuers!"--Publisher's description.

Marley meets… Cujo ? What would you do if there was a dog in your neighborhood forced to live outside day in/ day out, at the mercy of abusers, wild animals and brutal weather?Walter does nothing-at first. Then, an accidental meeting with Lance, a Border Collie, sets the wheels in motion for a down-to-the-wire, life-saving rescue and a disappointing discovery: Lance turns out to be a threat to anyone he can get his teeth on-including his rescuers!Their lives turned upside down by this semi-feral "pet", Walter and his wife Clara are forced to answer a painful question: do they euthanize the dog they rescued? Making their life-or-death choice even more difficult is Lance's hilarious quirkiness; when not threatening, he's incredibly entertaining-though a State Trooper, the local drug dealer, and a Megan's Law parolee, among many others, would beg to differ.This rollicking, thought-provoking, and-at times-heart-wrenching true-life account of the unorthodox rescue of an unorthodox dog is guaranteed to captivate:-Dog lovers-Recovering addicts (there are numerous passages that the 12-step community will relate to) -Survivors of child abuse (the author reveals his own poignant connection with Lance)-Any reader who can laugh, cry, or enjoy having her/his faith in humanity restored.