A quick look at three new books written by local authors:
“Trail of Second Chances”
This is Duffau’s second novel. His first, 2013’s “Finishing Kick,” received a mention on Running Times magazine’s summer reading list, which noted that Duffau, an ultra-runner, father and coach, “knows young people, team politics and school gossip, but mostly knows running and accurately describes summer training, team workouts and inspiring racing scenes as the team heads to state championships.”
Duffau chronicles area cross-country and track meets online at InlandXC.com. The book is 272 pages long, published by Cruiser Publications, and is available online.
“Journey to Recovery”
Real people’s efforts to recover from addiction is the focus of “Journey to Recovery,” a new book by Lewis-Clark State College professor Robert A. Hayes.
Besides teaching addiction studies courses at the college, Hayes is a certified alcohol and drug counselor and is a consultant to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in Lewiston. In the book he recounts 25 years in a profession that has seen many changes. Composite characters are based on real people he worked with and their different journeys to self-discovery. Hayes wrote the book with professionals and family members of addicts in mind.
“Journey to Recovery,” 216 pages, is published by Strategic Books Publishing and Rights Co., and is available online.
“Wooden Nickels and Yankee Dimes”
For his historical novel “Wooden Nickels and Yankee Dimes,” Steve Cundiff of Lewiston spent 25 years researching the life of his uncle, Karl Brunner Jr., who died during World War II at the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Cundiff’s uncle served on the sunken USS Monssen. Cundiff drew from letters his uncle wrote to his family members, including Cundiff’s mother, while serving aboard the ship. He also interviewed veterans who provided missing information about activities aboard the vessel.
The Battle of Guadalcanal was a series of land and sea clashes from 1942-43 in the South Pacific between Allied and Japanese forces on and around Guadalcanal, one of the southern Solomon Islands. Each country lost 24 warships during the fighting.
The book is 310 pages and self-published through Xulon. It is available online and at Hasting’s in Lewiston.
