You and What Army? - Paperback

Stevie Stepanek's upbringing in a mill town past its prime has taught him to expect the worst from life, which is exactly what he gets the day his big brother returns from war, his body intact but his mind clearly missing in action. Impelled to continue the good fight, Stevie finds his cause when evidence suggests a trusted family friend is responsible for a heinous crime that no one is willing to acknowledge. Stevie's efforts to break this culture of silence lead to uncomfortable alliances and unexpected places, until he begins to question not only his motives, but whether the dragon he's sworn to slay might very well set fire to all he seeks to save.

A longtime journalist with a boxful of national and regional awards, Eric Gongola grew up in a blue-collar town amid a welter of racial tension, scandal in high places and the fallout of an unpopular war. You and What Army? is a romp through the turbulent summer of 1975, an adult tale told from the perspective of an 11-year-old boy desperate to make a difference.