Life at Stake

About the Book

The major thread in this collection of short stories is the human struggle and will to survive under even the most adverse circumstances, whether those imposed by the harshness of nature or those visited upon us by the perfidious

character of fellow men and women.  When one engages in struggle it is not only the physical opposition but the companion emotional and psychological turmoil that afflict us.  In either case it is conflict that ultimately determines and defines an individual’s inner strength and ability to recognize, confront, and overcome one’s own deficiencies and to face danger, injury, or even death with courage and dignity.

         Each of the stories contained in this collection portrays that courage and conflict as exemplified in different forms during three major historical periods and/or events: the exploration and settling of the western frontier, the Civil War, and finally World War II.     

         Most stories are the invention of the author; however, several are based on seeds of truth per known experiences of individuals, obviously enhanced by authorial embellishment, while others have a foundation discovered among the skeletons of local legends.

About the Author

Al Dawson was raised on a small farm in the Northern Neck of Virginia, a peninsular surrounded not only by water but by history that encompasses the birth of this great nation with the “stuff” of John Smith and Pocahontas at Jamestown, the Revolutionary War with its own heroes exemplified by George Washington and others, the Civil War with bullet holes in the walls of the local church and stories of the exploits of his Confederate great grandfather as narrated by  his loving grandma, and finally World War II with the intriguing narrations of relatives who fought on land, sea, and in the air in Europe and the Pacific.

         After a wonderful, and even inspiring, education in the small local high school, Al attended the University of Richmond where he earned his Bachelor of

Arts in Spanish with Phi Beta Kappa honors, then continued his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received his Ph.D.  He returned to his alma mater, the University of Richmond, to teach there for 34 years and with his

wife to raise their two children, Eric and Sheila, both of whom continue to follow their parents’ professions as teachers and exponents of Spanish language and culture.  After retirement he and his wife Laila moved to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where his long ingrained love for the rich history of western frontier life, mining and ghost towns, cowboys and Indians (native Americans to us now) came to the fore.  The beauty, mystery, and lore of the mountains, deserts, and plains captivate him and his imagination, inspiring him to render in word something of the magic of not only where he lives but the marvelous resiliency of human nature itself.