The Goats of Rye Grass Hill - Paperback

by Joe Don Roggins (Author)

War. Wildfires. A monster. A miracle.

The Goats of Rye Grass Hill plants the seeds of a weblike mystery early on. A graphic WWI battle introduces the action. The story then draws the reader in emotionally as four abandoned goats bleat plaintively on a lonely hilltop. Most of the content takes place in the mid-1960s: a period of severe political and racial unrest; a time of The Beatles, Muhammad Ali, Superballs, Barbie dolls, pegged pants, miniskirts, The Sound of Music, To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Vietnam war.

At the heart of the story is a small farming community and a group of kids who spend their summer playing baseball, bugging each other, learning about life, facing schoolyard justice, and discovering the passions and pitfalls of young love. Times are hard. The social issues of broken families, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental illness are woven into the plot. Tension builds, thrills abound, and the mystery grows. Cultural immersion and character depth bring the scenes to life. Tears of joy and sorrow flow. Wildfires set the forests ablaze, riots set the country afire, and an escalating jungle war divides the nation. The Goats of Rye Grass is a mixed-genre book with literary underpinnings-a unique and poignant chronicle that readers will never forget.