INVERNESS, Fla., Feb. 12, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- From 1850 to 1880, Americans saw an exciting and perilous time for their young country. The wilderness was giving way to settlers and trappers while the Native American Indians were being pushed away from their home. Politics, slavery, and conflicting regional boundaries were feeding the flames of a fire that would become the War Between the States. During these turbulent years, the strong alone would survive, a bitter truth depicted by James Adkins in his gripping new book, The River of Many Fishes.
In the mind of John Hanson, whose Appalachian farming family was murdered when he was young, revenge was the only creed to live by. Raised by a Cherokee family, he grows into a strong mountain man always ready for adventure and vengeance. The book carries the reader to rugged mountains, battles in the wilderness, the cruelty of the War Between the States, all the while telling the love story between John Hanson and his Cherokee wife. John's battles, adventures, journeys, and love for his family will sweep you into Indian territories, the Appalachians, murderous fur trader camps, and survival in the war.
The River of Many Fishes is a family drama and adventure that you will enjoy while being carried perilously into the exciting story of Indians, trappers, slavers, death, and love. Be prepared for an adventure that will keep you on the edge and into the high mountains of America as it was over a hundred years ago.
About the Author
James Adkins served as Lockheed manager of the Space Shuttle Safety Operations at the Kennedy Space Center. He was appointed member to the team investigating the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. Adkins began writing River of Many Fishes during the Challenger mishap deliberations but never got to finish it. The Columbia tragedy moved him to finish the book. Writing about the past, a time far simpler, and less dominated by technology and global concerns, has provided a respite from the feelings of despair, continued concerns of failed missions, and loss of astronauts.
Adkins, who has published short adventure stories, safety handbooks and technical manuals, was born into a rural Florida family of fishermen, hunters, and law enforcers. He developed a love for adventure and the outdoors that took him to his different professions as a police officer, sheriff's deputy, and wildlife officer. After thirty years in law enforcement and public safety, he ended his career as manager of Space Shuttle Safety Operations of the Kennedy Space Center in 1995.
River of Many Fishes
By James Adkins
Publication Date: May 21, 2003
Trade Paperback; $21.99; 204 pages; 1-4010-9493-7;
Cloth Hardback; $31.99; 204 pages; 1-4010-9494-5
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (215) 923-4686 x. 165. Tearsheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marianne Bellesorte. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (215) 599-0114.
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