Honor (ePub)

What is it to be honorable? In the eyes of others? In your own heart? Is it what you've done or who you are? Honor, a novella by Daniel Grotta, explores the human cost when patriotism, personal ethics and the deep bond of friendship collide. Jeff Smith was, as his bully of a brother-in-law Gene Engelhardt was fond of retelling, "e;what the cat dragged in."e; A scruffy, bearded hippie Gene's sister Bonnie had met and fallen deeply in love with decades ago at a Washington peace rally against the Vietnam War. Even shaved and doing whatever the Engelhardts wanted, Jeff was never accepted or approved of by his in-laws. Now, Jeff is saddled with a family, a dead end job, and, after Bonnie died of cancer, a mountain of debt. However, Jeff has a secret and a unique possession that could possibly solve his financial problems and help his daughter realize her dream, if he can overcome the guilt and shame that has haunted him for over thirty years.Honor is currently being developed into a theatrical play by the playwright David Zarko.A free Study Guide for Honor, for book clubs, teachers and other book discussion groups is available from the publisher Pixel Hall Press.About Black Bear, PennsylvaniaHonor, is the first in a series of stories set in the fictional Pocono Mountains village of Black Bear, Pennsylvania. Black Bear was created as a literary folie deux by Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta. Both Daniel and Sally are dipping into the same pool of invented locale and characters to write a series of separate stories and novels that will eventually paint a full picture of the diversity of life and relationships in a small mountain village. For instance, both Jeff Smith and his curmudgeonly father-in-law AH Engelhardt from Honor, play key roles in Jo Joe, a Black Bear novel by Sally Wiener Grotta.Every Black Bear story stands alone, as a separate story that doesn't require knowing anything about the town from previous stories.