THE RIDE OF OUR LIVES

In his twelfth historical fiction novel, Author F. Mark Granato returns to his roots for inspiration on the south end streets of Hartford, Connecticut. The Vietnam War is raging, the Draft Board is desperate for fresh recruits, and Joe Bertone has pulled a lottery number that all but ensures he will be forced to join the divisive conflict that is tearing America apart. At the same time, his family disowns him, a fickle girlfriend dumps him, he flunks out of school and no longer has a student deferment from the draft. It seems his fate is decided. But like thousands of others who are being bullied by the government into fighting an endless, tragic war without meaning, he must face up to a hard, lonely reality. He takes to the road in his eccentric and battered vintage British sports car, a friend as much as a set of wheels, and sets out to find a world where real freedom is not an illusion. The path is painful and torturous for the fugitive boy who wants only peace and to share love with someone who understands his struggle. Is he a coward? Or a hero? Only he can decide.