"Heart in the Jungle" Author Fred J. Lauver on the Sunbury Press Books Show!

Altoona, Pennsylvania, 1966. Nineteen-year-old Frank Davis stands on the edge of adulthood in a tumultuous time of American history, brought to life in Fred J. Lauver's new novel, Heart in the Jungle - Mountain City. Frank's middle-class neighborhood has streets named after poets, in contrast to the reality of the city's industrial lands, the remains of the coal and railroad industries. Amid this, Frank dreams of rock stardom with his band, while living a somewhat-sheltered life that hearkens back to a decade before.

The Vietnam War hangs heavy over the nation, and while patriotism remains strong, the feeling pervades many that this is a war we should not be fighting. Frank enlists in the Air Force, only to find he's been drafted, by the seemingly standard practice of the local board. Efforts of wealthier families, determined to keep their sons from this war resort to extreme measures and Frank is caught up in it.

All the while, Frank tries to find love. His lifelong friend Jeannette Wiley is gone, the allure of Sarah Meade, the girl everyone wants, and the courtship of Brandi Jo Pulinni, guided by her Italian-American family's ever-changing perceptions. 

A native of Altoona, Fred is the author of works including Aziza, the Caves of Mars, and Olympus. His short stories have appeared in anthologies such as The Darkened Doorstep, and Bitter Sweet. He co-authored The Pennsylvania Trail of History cookbook and was assistant editor of Pennsylvania Heritage magazine. 

Find out more about Fred here.