The Old Block: A Novel

his father had always hoped to write. But a When Nick sets out to find out the truth about his father's past, he learns more than he ever expected-about his father and about himself. appeals to anyone who understands the process, who appreciates the complexities of , who enjoys , and who remembers the experience of a is the latest by Mark Scott Piper, the author of the crossover YA novel, It takes you on an emotional journey with young Nick Castle, as he sets off on cross-cultural adventure to unfurl . Along the way, Nick's quest to discover the truth about his father becomes a journey of . Nick patterns his life, his personality, and his world view after Jim Castle. He is truly a "chip off the old block" and he's extremely proud of it. Nick gets his whole identity from his dad, and when Jim dies, in 2012, Nick is devastated. Jim Castle has left behind a manuscript for Nick's eyes only. It is the story of young Braden Delaney, who gets caught up in . During the student anti-war protests of 1970, he commits a violent act of rebellion that destroys government property--and ends in the death of an innocent victim. Braden escapes the U.S. to avoid government agents and spends the next . Finally, he returns to the States with a new name and identity. That new identity is a clue that leads Nick to fear that his beloved father, Jim Castle, and Braden Delaney are in fact the same person. Nick's suspicion sends him on to prove his dad is not the protagonist of his own story. He retraces the steps of Braden Delaney to find facts that will prove his fear unwarranted and put the to rest. Nick's dilemma: If his father is not the man he thought he was, where does that leave his son? As he pursues his quest to discover the truth about his father, Nick meets Sophie Cole and . Nick's quest also helps him uncover something else important--his own --and that opens the door for him to truly Amazon Categories: "Fiction: Contemporary" "Romance Contemporary" "Romance: 20th Century" "Fiction: Coming of Age" "Romance: Multicultural & Interracial" "Fiction: New Adult" "Fiction: Literary" "Fiction: Mystery"