$ 16.95

The Other Son

Synopsis

Born to wealth in a chateau in France, Jacque had more fathers than he could remember, and when he was around eight, his mother "threw him away" by sending him to live with a brutal, drunken man. He accidentally killed this man when he was about twelve and stowed away on a ship to America. Once there, he spent the next two years roaming the country during the worst years of the Great Depression, searching for his biological father. He barely found enough food to fill his gut, slept any place he could find, and kept older boys and men off himself with his knife. It was a rough, vicious life. Haunted by the accident, living on his wits, alone in the midst of thousands of other homeless, it was hate for his father that drove him. Finally, when he got to his father's barn in the midst of a raging blizzard, nearly dead, he collapsed. He came with one idea... to kill his father.

The Other Son tells of personal growth, of raising children as honest, accountable youth, of trust in a better tomorrow, of people whose religious beliefs are the bedrock of their lives, and of helping those more needy than oneself. It goes into problems as timely today as they were in 1935, such as race relations, infidelity, children born out of wedlock, and gender roles. An upbeat and inspiring book, it is one you will not soon forget.

Author Biography

Carol J. Fosdick

Carol was born in 1939 in Pueblo, Colorado. She has lived much of the life she has written about in The Other Son. Money was tight, but she says theirs was a happy and loving family. They all read incessantly, Carol's favorites being historical novels. Her first love was horses and her second was art. Her mother always made sure Carol had art supplies and she did her first oil painting when she was in the third grade, which was of her "dream horse." When she was young, her earliest memories were of World War II. Sodas were a nickel and she remembers her first piece of gum. She proudly wore her brother's out grown Mackinaw, and most of her clothes were hand-me-downs from relatives in New York. When Carol was twelve, she was lucky enough to get a horse, even though she was a "town kid." She majored in art at Colorado State University, then taught the next thirty-three years. Unwilling to leave her children, she earned her Master's Degree in a non-traditional program at home, her Thesis being on the history and cultures of the Four Corners. She won a mini-grant from the Colorado Department of Education and developed a class in western art with the money, writing her own text for it. (Unpublished) In 1982, she was recognized by Colorado State University as Teacher of the Year, one of six teachers from a five state area.

When she was 30, her feet weakened so that walking became difficult, and the conditions worsened as she got older. The family altered their lifestyle but not their horizons. She taught the next twenty-five years with this handicap and feels this made her more understanding with children with differences.

She says writing is the most rewarding and yet demanding experience that she has ever had. "My books are from the heart. Although fiction, they tell not only of many experiences, but also speak of my own personal philosophy and vision, and my belief in the American way of life."