What's a kid to do when his rabidly anti-Establishment sister rolls in from college while their flag-waving brother joins the army? With one sibling marching in anti-war demonstrations while the other marches off to boot camp, the turmoil gripping 1960's America wreaks havoc on Paul's young life.

Historical Fiction,War,Political

Paul's brother shocks the family by enlisting in the army at the height of the Vietnam War, offending their stridently anti-war sister. As Chris deploys to Vietnam and Mary marches to end the war, 14-year-old Paul struggles to make sense of the bitter schisms dividing his family and country.

Paul's youthful struggles grow ever darker as a series of eerie premonitions culminate with his brother being killed in Vietnam. Suddenly mired in a crippling depression, it takes his own brush with death and the afterlife before Paul can begin making sense of the calamities besetting him.

Suburban America, specifically the outskirts of Pittsburgh.

Yes

Internal Journey/Rebirth,Other

Coming of Age,Meaningful Message,Happy Ending,Twist,Philosophical Questions,Other

Language/Profanity,Sexual Abuse

Name: Paul Milton

Age: 14

Gender: Male

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Charming,Complex,Desperate,Engaging,Honorable,Funny,Modest,Strong Moral Code

Name: Chris Milton

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Role: Antagonist

Key Traits: Badass,Aggressive,Masculine,Confident,Honorable,Patriotic,Aspiring

Name: Mary Milton

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Role: antagonist

Key Traits: Badass,Aggressive,Confident,Complex,Decisive,Educated,Sarcastic,Outspoken

Name: Nancy Milton

Age: 45

Gender: Female

Role: logical

Key Traits: Faithful,Educated,Skillful,Strong Moral Code,Confident

A House Divided would make a compelling film for myriad reasons. An engaging cast of characters brings the Vietnam War era’s struggles to life - appealing to the baby-boom generation who lived through them, as well as those just now coming of age. With groovy, radicalized sister Mary opposing the war, and macho brother Chris - badly jilted on the football field - enlisting in the army, 14-year-old Paul is left to make sense of the bitter tumult dividing his family and country. An aspiring runner and ardent baseball fan, Paul represents a kind of lost innocence, trying to decide where he stands on the day’s contentious issues even as he seeks frequent respite with his band of mischievous friends. Spanning 1967-68 - including the Summer of Love, TET Offensive, and shocking assassinations of MLK and Bobby Kennedy - the once carefree Paul’s struggles to understand these upheavals while also navigating the standard coming-of-age challenges of high school and budding romance. His struggles are further complicated by a series of disturbing premonitions he tries to shrug off - until they culminate in a nightmarish - and eerily prescient - dream of his brother being killed while on patrol in Vietnam. With a deepening despondency coupled with a suffocating guilt - what if his dream had somehow caused his brother’s death? - it takes Paul’s own unexpected brush with death and subsequent encounter with the after-life before he is able to come to grips with these tumultuous events.

Growing up in the shadows of Pittsburgh in the 1960’s, I was afforded a kids-eye view of the Beatles, Beach Boys and Major League Baseball, as well as such decade-defining events as the Summer of Love, Civil Rights demonstrations, the Vietnam War and LBJ’s announcement not to seek re-election – as well as the jolting assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. In this, I was immersed in the kind of soaring hopes and bitter disillusionment which defined a generation. As such, it is safe to say "A House Divided" began gestating years before taking shape in its current form. In addition to writing, I am a Social Studies and P.E. Teacher; avid runner, history buff, political junkie and erstwhile Frisbee player. I live with my wife near Austin, TX, and when not teaching writing, or running, I enjoy visiting our three daughters and lovely grandchildren in Downeast Maine and Houston, TX.

Age: 13-17,18-34,35-54,55+

Target Gender: Universal

Information not completed

Status: Yes: self-published

Publisher: BookBaby

Year Published: 2018

Yes

ISBN-10: 1543920160