Böcker av Tom Kiske

"In The Slipstream of Time" is the 2023 winner of the Fezziwig Prize for word-slinging, according to Felix Fezziwig, Chairman and sole member of the Committee to Figure Stuff Out. The Fezziwig Prize carries no monetary award, nor does it confer much recognition or prestige. There is, however, a gala award dinner at Buster's Burger Joint on Old Potato Road, which draws attendees from all over the metro area.In his now-famous acceptance speech, Mr. Kiske said, "I am proud and humble - or maybe humiliated - that y'all gimme this here prize, even though I had to pay for my own hamburger. I don't know if I really deserve it, onna counta all's I done was write down some stuff that happened or maybe I hallucinated or something."One of the attendees, or perhaps a Burger Joint customer, stood and shouted, "Hey, what's that there book about, anyways?""I think about 200 pages," Kiske replied."Well, it is deeply evocative?""Uh..." Kiske stammered."Is it smart, compelling and heartfelt?""Maybe.""Is it a page-turner, a tour-de-force?""Um, I gotta go now," Kiske said as the audience erupted into a chorus of guffaws, belches and farts.

Tom Bonner is a smart kid growing up in inner city St. Louis during turbulent times. Whole neighborhoods are being demolished in the name of urban renewal and as middle class families flee to the suburbs, gangs, crime and decay move in as occupying forces. Tom tries to live in two worlds, competing for a college scholarship during the day while running with a gang at night. When he's accused of arson and murder Bonner has to choose one path or the other. But has the choice already been made for him?Pursued by both police and rival gangs, Bonner stumbles into a network of caves under the city. Betrayed by friends, he's accepted by the enigmatic Tugboat and other down-on-their-luck strangers in a shabby shanty town on the banks of the Mississippi where he learns that school isn't the only place important lessons are taught. Will a terrible storm, a threatening flood and a tent revival provide the formula for Bonner's redemption or his damnation?If you enjoyed Tom Sawyer, The Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird, you're sure to like Welcome to Happy-Land.