“Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both before we commit ourselves to either.”— Aesop
Humanity is far from perfect—it is a simmering variety of emotions, passions, mistakes, and triumphs, all mixed up within the seemingly soporific mundanity of the day-to-day life. Together, the personal and emotional stories of individuals become a powerful exploration of what it means to be human.
In “Looking for God…,” readers with an open mind and curiosity will discover the story of one life through beautifully-written prose. This life story is told with the passion of a memoir that jumps out of the pages, pulling you deep into experiences: as heroic as it is tragic, this anthology brings together A.W. Schade’s best works on a highway deep into his psyche, motivations, and essential humanity.
This anthology reveals the naked perspective and journey of one man: the trials and tribulations of a life shattered by the ugliness of an entrenched, unwinnable war in Vietnam to a strong survivor seeking to overcome his PTSD during the relentlessly televised destruction of Iraq.
Through satire, suspense, controversy, wavering faith, and a vigilant battle against the demons that haunt us all. Schade’s writing captures the human spirit at its best and its worst: the impossible mélange that makes us all tick. The anthology includes the following titles:
•Looking for God: Within the Kingdom of Religious Confusion Novel – God?
•If I Fail: What Doom Awaits the Children? Short Story – Suspense
•The Demons of War are Persistent: PTSD can disrupt your life. Short Story – Denial and struggle with PTSD
•The Greatest Father Short Story – Satire
•Not Alone Short Story – A perspective of healing
“We each see the world through a lens of all our experience, wrote the diplomat Madeleine M. Kunin: that is a fundamental part of the human condition.”
Within anthologyPERCEPTION, you will discover a writer who is passionate about opening minds and raising awareness—and finally, breaking through the stigma and demons that many veterans face long after their tour of duty has ended.
Enjoy the journey!
Marine, Vietnam Veteran, Bank Manager, and over 30 successful years in corporate executive marketing, business development, operations, and sales. Married, father of three sons, and grandfather to a granddaughter and four grandsons. Schade graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Business Management. After decades of denial, he accepted the fact he had PTSD. When images of the Gulf Wars flashed ceaselessly across every media outlet, they triggered his darkest memories of combat in Vietnam. No longer focused on his career and personal responsibilities he agreed to retire early, and began his journey of therapy to subdue the 'demons of war.' Immersed in his therapy Schade recognized through the assistance of others, who freely shared their time and editing skills, he began to write stories to raise awareness and open minds. His first story was the award-winning novel, “Looking for God within the Kingdom of Religious Confusion,” An enlightening ‘creative non-fiction’ story of one man’s journey to find the truth about God and religion. Passing through the mystical ‘Gates of Abraham’ his protagonist Jacob engages believers along the divergent roads of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Secular and Spirituality beliefs for answers. Concluding his thoughts on religion he wrote, "The greatest father"—a satirical tale of how religion began. Changing direction, Schade wrote two stories to help veterans recognize and accept PTSD. “The Demons of War are Persistent” is a personal short-story of denial and living with PTSD. "Not Alone" is an essay about the trepidation of entering group therapy. Both stories were written to help veterans and families what the stigma of PTSD and seek help—instead of falling into the abyss of destitution or suicide. They are free to read and download on his website. In 2017, Schade finished his first suspense-filled short-story "If I fail; what doom awaits the children?" 'The only hope to save three kidnapped children is an elderly veteran.'
