Finally, a rare breed of returning soldiers pursued
healing and purpose upon another level altogether.
Dissatisfied with the ways of the world, they sought a
new world.
These once naïve boys became enlightened men.
Forged in the furnace of battle they saw not the glory
of war but the folly and refused to buy back into the
establishment; that dog didn’t hunt anymore. Escaping
without delay irrational, misguided ideology that
brought them to the brink of madness was utmost
priority. There was no time for jobs, family, college or
anything but to make a mad dash down the highway like a
wrongly convicted fugitive in search of sanctuary from
the clutches of a broken system.
Are they misfits, malcontents, bohemian
renegades, unabashed gonzo anti-heroes??? Absolutely,
and they wear it like a badge of honor.
These ex-troopers are existential desperados
compelled to blaze their own path to find unconditional
fulfillment on their terms; which makes it a
transcendent odyssey besides a worldly one.
The quixotic roadside philosophers of
Road Scholars revel in their own brand of
joie de vivre as they journey to the far side
of the horizon, home of their elusive endpoint that does
not exist. Not surprisingly, like gypsies and
butterflies, they find the nomadic lifestyle is the
essence of freedom.
In due time they will become conscious of the
fact that their destination is not a place on a map but
somewhere in their minds, meanwhile they continue the
pilgrimage seeking the fabled vista that reveals meaning
and purpose for being.
The
Road Scholars' tale is boldly adventurous, drug
addled, violent, profane, comic, surreal, brazen
hyperbole and punctuated with slipstream encounters.
In spite of those qualities, or rather because of
them, it is a captivating saga that celebrates the
tribal bonds of veterans, undying friendship and
uncommon wanderlust.
The titles of my three books appear separately within
the drop down boxes. On those individual pages a
synopsis is posted for each novel.
The first novel is
Slipstream Portal Of Laundry-World, my latest
work. Due to its wide compass of subject matter, its
complex structure of tracing history and myth into
contemporary times, presenting a traditional abbreviated
outline would have been an injustice. Add the
substantial and relevant background narration interwoven
into its plots and subplots lends the decision to
enhance the summary a no-brainer.
The drawings of four new characters in
Slipstream Portal Of Laundry-World are posted
between breaks in the text. On the
Last House On The Block page, my second novel,
two prominent characters of that story are posted. The
two characters on the home page, Dr. Panda Head and
Professor Dos Zetas, also made their first appearance in
Last House On The Block. All characters mentioned
come together in
Slipstream Portal Of Laundry-World.
Please note,
Slipstream Portal Of Laundry-World is loosely a
sequel to Last House On The Block, due to a
carryover of the characters and not the storyline per
se. That said,
Slipstream Portal Of Laundry-World is a stand
alone read. I would recommend
Last House On The Block after
Slipstream Portal Of Laundry-World should you
find my style and literary flair appealing.
Lastly, Road Scholars, my first
book, stitched together from an evolving manuscript
spread over thirty years, has been referred to as a
‘period piece’. That is owing to its timeline of a few
months in late 1973. In many respects it is, however,
let nothing be lost on its timeless message about
returning veterans of war.
A certain number of combat vets from all wars
find it problematic to assimilate seamlessly back into
mainstream society. The unfortunate military personnel
who suffer disfigurement and amputations are glaring
wounded warriors; their condition is readily recognized
and generally receives deserving care along with public
acknowledgement for their sacrifices. That doesn’t
necessarily mean their integration back into society is
not without painful and troubling adjustments. Many
manage to overcome their disabilities and become
productive, gratified citizens. Sadly the fate of the
rest is akin to damnation through no fault of their
own.
Yet other veterans carry wounds and scars not of
the body but of the mind. Their booty of war is nothing
less than suffering from the psychological impairment
PTSD. If war doesn’t take your life or limbs, it could
very well take your mind. And while you may leave the
battlefield…the battlefield may never leave you.
For Nam vets, if you add in the reproachful
public opinion and scorn endured upon their
‘homecoming’, one could clearly acknowledge that their
welcoming parade was rained on, but you’d only be half
right…their parade was pissed on.
Additionally, a smaller subset of surviving
veterans, whether victims of PTSD or not, had manifested
a less than conventional mindset in the aftermath of
their season in hell.
Their values and priorities in life were
seriously upended as a result of combat. Dodging near
death experiences, repeatedly for months on end while
witnessing ninety-nine blood drenched shades of
causalities, fostered a cause to retaliate against the
system that exploited their patriotism in the worst
way…fighting a senseless war with no viable plan to
succeed.
Some joined outlaw bike gangs lashing out in
defiance. Others favored the counter-culture movement to
facilitate structured protest and or rebellion.
Compounded with antipathy, reconciliation with the
mainstream that cursed them as losers was not an option;
that Albatross around their neck only exacerbated the
necessity to make a socio-political statement that was
contrary to community standards.
Books
"We will discover new territories in our world; and in
other worlds as well. In our quest, we’ll leave no
stones unturned, take no turns unstoned.”
King Richard The Last, from Road
Scholars
“Without words, without writing and without books there
would be no history, there could be no concept of
humanity.”
….Hermann Hesse
Rudolph Barba
