A Civil War Within (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780578491608)

"Man up." "Suck it up." These sayings have become the hallmark mantras of masculinity--masks that men wear while their true unique identity slips beyond the periphery of their vision.

A CIVIL WAR WITHIN is the story of fourteen-year-old boy named EZRA, whose parents sign him up for a camping trip in his hometown of Las Vegas, NV. On the camping trip, Ezra and his two friends meet a mysterious man named VIVEK, who promises to challenge and push the boys through the power of story to help them understand the preciousness of life and what it means to embrace their unique identity all while wandering through the Valley of Fire. Vivek tells a painfully dark story of a man who is forced to face his issues with his father and the loss of his wife while on a Civil War battlefield in the 1800s. Through this painful and magical story, Ezra and his friends are equally challenged to face the internal battle they have with their own fathers and find they are able to come to peace with their own emotions. They learn the secret needed to break the cycle of anger and resentment that captivates themselves and so many generations before them. The camping trip culminates with a ceremony in which the boys' fathers welcome them into manhood, bringing forth a new generation of men . . . uniquely made and individually powerful.

This novel makes for a great gift for any young adult reader or anyone who has struggled to come to terms with their identity as they have been influenced by society and those around them. A Civil War Within is a novel that speaks to the internal conflict that is happening inside each and every one of us right now. The battle to break the cycle and become our truest self.