"The world doesn't care what happens to you. Your family and friends do, understand that and you understand what life is all about."
 |
Brother & Sister by Ivan Rowe Trafford Publishing
book review by John E. Roper
Ed thinks he has it all figured out. At sixteen he is young, strong, and ready to take on the world. Staying at home on the dairy farm just doesn't fit into his plans. With all of the cocky confidence of youth the boy runs away to Denver, only to find out that reality and dreams do not always coincide. The author recounts the true story of Ed Spitzer, a young man who struggles to survive the series of ups and downs life hands him. Many of the problems and successes he experiences are the result of his choices, but some seem to be mere twists of fate that are as bizarre as any found in fiction. Ed escapes from the danger and depravity of his time in Denver to Medicine Bow, Wyoming, where he carves out a place of respect and acceptance for himself on a busy cattle ranch. Ranch life is not without its own forms of peril, however, and the young man soon finds himself on trial for manslaughter and aggravated assault. Fortunately, the love of good friends and a special girl help him through this tough time, but the court case is just a warm-up for some traumatic events and revelations that will rock him to the core.
The author's writing is engaging, and his gift for teaching is evident in some of his detailed descriptions of ranch life. The lyrical quality of his prose is marred at times by the coarseness of graphic sex scenes that do not seem to fit into the rest of the book, detracting from a story that is otherwise quite moving.