FITHIAN PRESS Locked up, They Learn the Meaning of Freedom Novelist Richard Landers spent almost four years on an aircraft carrier, during which time he became acutely aware of the human need for freedom. Immersed in the dehumanizing system of military life, Landers saw the best and worst sides of men, and he also learned that real freedom can only be found within the individual. Western County Prison, Landers's first novel, is about the search for freedom that six inmates share while serving time together for various crimes. The central character, Dick, has been sentenced to a prison term for his aggressive driving, and finds himself in the center of a small group of companions: Devlin, who does not know or care why he is in jail and is more concerned with keeping his bowel movements regular; Logan, who murdered his wife because he loved her too much; Billy Bob, a foul-mouthed rapist who's convinced the women he mistreated wanted his attentions; Shred, a surfer and drug addict busted for stealing hooch from a convent; and Shamus, a computer nerd who was implicated when a girlfriend he did not like turned violent with a gun he had bought. These unlikely cohorts share the stories of their crimes, their pasts, and their views of the world set against the background of prison life, which Landers describes with realistic intensity. He leaves nothing out, from toilets to gruel, from the showers to the exercise yard, complete with the dangers of rape and riot. In the prisoners' discussions and their dealings with a disreputable prison priest, they are able to come to terms with themselves as individuals within a system that does not recognize them as such, and so find their freedom. The characters of Western County Prison hope to escape literally from the walls that surround them. But they learn that in order to be free, we must first separate ourselves from the institutions and associations that surround us. Only then can we truly discover who we are and what we believe in. In this way we can escape from the prisons we create for ourselves and eventually discover Thoreau's ideal--and free--"individual" within ourselves. Richard Alan Landers is a decorated Gulf War veteran and is currently working on his Master of Arts degree in English at George Mason University. He has studied law, been a beach lifeguard, and now resides in Round Hill, Virginia. Western County Prison is his first novel. Western County Prison A Novel Richard A. Landers ISBN 1-56474-324-1 144 pages, paperback, $10.95 For ordering information, click here or phone (800) 662-8351 or order the book now!