Toil Under The Sun - Softcover

R. Phillip Ritter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1425920101 ISBN 13: 9781425920104

Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2006

Synopsis

CHAR(13) + CHAR(10)Toil Under the Sun is a powerful novel of an adopted boy's growth into manhood as a U.S. Marine during the "Forgotten War" in Korea. It is an intricately crafted account of friendship and betrayal...fear and courage...shame and atonement...which in exquisitely written prose explores the hidden rage and abnegation of an adopted child. Many of the great themes of literature and of life are woven into this masterful story: love, honor, respect, courage, guilt, fear, faith, and redemption. And most importantly, the story is guided throughout by the fundamental belief that our lives have meaning far beyond our daily toil under the sun. The author, R. Phillip Ritter, is the son of a Korean War veteran and the father of two beloved sons, one of whom served as a U.S. Marine in Operation Iraqi Freedom. This novel draws considerably from the author's personal experiences-of growing up with a deeply humble father who seldom spoke of his experiences in Korea, and of learning to face the many challenges of parenting two adopted sons. The historical allusions to the Marine defense of Fox Hill in North Korea, a struggle against overwhelming odds, imbues the story with a desperate realism that creates an important backdrop to this insightful exploration of the inner turmoil of an adopted child.

About this title

About the Author

R. Phillip Ritter is the son of a father who served as a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army in the Korean War and a mother who taught first grade for nearly three decades. Born in Des Moines, Iowa in January 1952, his family moved to Southern California before he began the first grade. He attended second grade through high school in Anaheim, and then California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He graduated with a bachelor of architecture degree in 1975. He completed his thesis year in Denmark, and while there met Kristine (born in Alaska, she was completing her second year of architecture through the University of Idaho) in the balcony of the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen during a performance of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. He moved to Alaska and married Kris a few years later (she would say it took longer than a few years), and has lived there ever since. Both continue to practice architecture. The author and his wife have two adopted sons, one who served as a U.S. Marine in Iraq, and one who is a gifted artist. Although the author has written seriously since the age of 15, this is his first novel. He already has plans to write a second, and, given the time it took to complete the first, it should be available for publication in about four years. The author dedicated this book to his father, a member of the "Greatest Generation," two days before his death in January 2002.

Edition details

• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1425920101
• ISBN 13: 9781425920104
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 348