Finding My Way

Acclaimed author William E. Dunstan concludes his stunning boyhood adventure series with this remarkable book. Most activities center on his beautiful but mysterious hometown of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Filled with robust energy and enthusiasm, William and his extraordinary friends become eleventh graders in September 1956. He soon becomes hopelessly lost in young romance with a new student leaping from these pages under the name Lila, until a bigoted minister drives the happy couple apart. William mutes his sorrow by building a foot-pumped organ for the annual Science Fair and by writing a short story on tragic love for the school newspaper. He joins the National Guard and volunteers for basic training with the Regular Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Underweight but showing steel determination, William shoulders the burdens of men in the gritty world of soldering. He returns to boyhood and Elizabeth City for his final year of high school. As a senior, he leads the school Finance Committee, a pivotal role with many responsibilities, including managing the concession stand as the football team commands the gridiron for the State Championship. William weaves into the fabric of his boyhood memories many unforgettable true stories of heroism and tragedy, wonder and adventure. He vividly portrays his first date with tenth-grader "Julie," leading to a stormy and complex dating relationship. In the meantime William and his richly layered friends investigate the domain of ghosts and the supernatural. Philosophers at heart, they explore the mysteries of life while seeking inner strength and guidance in a world of injustice. They glide into the treasured final days of high school but can hardly imagine the heart-wrenching difficulty of saying farewell.