Jacob Paul Patchen Knihy

With America under attack from within, twelve-year-old James must fight his way to freedom while trying to hold onto his values and virtue. "We are all given a space in life to fill, a roaring emptiness in time... and it's how you choose to fill that void, that will determine the difference in becoming a man or a legend." That's what my father said to me a few years ago before he walked out on Mom, Emily, and me. If I would have had any sense back then, I would have asked him exactly what that meant. Instead, I'm out here learning it the hard way - dodging bullets and bombs while America is at war - my friends fighting back with all we have, while trying to keep these orphaned children safe and our dreams alive. They call us The Risers. Well, okay... so we call ourselves "The Risers." But either way, we're out here doing everything we can just to survive and rise up from our nation's ashes with honor, integrity, and justice. Now, with smoky memories of a lost childhood, and the horrible, lingering, cardboard taste of MRE crackers (still left over from living in Dad's bomb shelter), my mini army and me march forward, taking back what was once taken for granted. But to be honest, I'm really just out here winging it. Wish me luck.