Patrick Carter

The Sound of Thunder Patrick Carter

The Sound that Shook the World We first met Harold Carothers as a twelve year-old boy in The Wild River, living with his mom and dad in the small town of Cypress Bayou on the Atchafalaya River in Sothern Louisiana in the late 1930s. The Sound of Thunder tells the story of Harold's coming of age, as he, his family and friends, witness their small, somewhat innocent world being shaken to its very core as Adolph Hitler and Imperialist Japan's evil forces advance in their intent to take over civilization. The Sound of Thunder spans from 1939 through 1944, masterfully interweaving historical accounts of World War II with Harold's personal story. Harold finds romance and greater opportunities when his family moves to a larger community, but once Pearl Harbor and thousands of lives are taken down he realizes that he, too, along with most of his friends and classmates, will soon have to abandon their families and lifestyles and fight in the War -in which many will pay the ultimate sacrifice. The love-struck teen is swiftly whipped into a full-fledged sailor, sent off to serve as a medic in the hospital ward of ships that carry seriously injured, shell-shocked servicemen. As they navigate the dangerous, war-ravaged seas, Harold experiences tragedy and near death but also a heavenly, divine gift - an understanding of what his life is all about and who he is to share it with.