Big Dogs and Flyboys — Sam Michel

Narrated by eighteen-year-old Adam Oney from his hospital bed in a burn unit, Sam Michel's debut novel centers around two boys, one black, one white. They meet as eight-year-olds on an Air Force base in the Nevada desert where they share the bond of wanting to fly, like Adam's father in his Phantom F-4 fighter. Mike, who's black, is the son of a former fighter jet mechanic who nurtures his bitterness at being forced out of the military. The two boys navigate their childhood through obdurately fixed constellations of race and class. Adam loses his father to martinis and his fabled past, his mother to Reverend Marsh. He also faces the loss of Mike's friendship, and he very nearly loses his life. Throughout it all, Adam is buoyed by his talent for happiness and the strength of his dreams of flight. This is a story of love and loss, betrayal and hope, and the human spirit's desire to forgive and to sustain its early passions.