Perseverance

BY A TEXAS LITERARY HALL OF FAME MEMBER The year is 1932, the depths of the Great Depression, and thousands of desperate people ride the rails in search of jobs, homes, and hope. For some, the tracks are a road to nowhere, a dead end in a boxcar or under the wheels or in a sea of emptiness. Their fate seems certain--until Ish Watson grabs the rungs of a passing freight train bound for a dying relative on the Texas Gulf Coast. He brings with him the traits bestowed by his rural upbringing--faith, conviction, and dedication. But now he faces thundering wheels ready to mutilate and knife-wielding hobos restless to kill, a barreling train anxious to derail and railway "bulls" itching to shoot. Only here in life's trenches will he meet up with the dregs of the wayward and the runaways, the dope addicts and the prostitutes, the winos and criminals. The locomotive's black smoke drifts back down the line to cover them all like a shroud, but it is more than death they face--for this train will not stop until it carries them all to their destinies. And their only hope lies in Ish's perseverance. This provocative novel, by a Spur Award winner, may well challenge your perspective on life.