Tom Gnagey

That Summer at Lords Tom Gnagey

THAT SUMMER AT LORDS is set in imaginary Lords, Arkansas, population 104 during 1943, a time of uncertainty, fear, despair, and determination. It is a story for adults narrated from the often-insightful perspective of an 11-year-old boy. He finds that with all the older boys gone to war, he must step in and grow up faster than he is prepared to do. It seems unfair that he is required to forfeit his childhood. He and the others in his little community must come to grips with tragedies that force them to rethink their long-held, insular values and way of life. The reader is offered mystery, intrigue and humor as the story strives to paint a faithful snapshot of the time - its hardships and possibilities - and offers thought provoking situations and conversations. It promises no rosy solutions and yet there is hope.