This Given Sky
ByPublisher Description
A haunting short story about friendship and loss in small-town Montana
Jake, Steve, and Thel are inseparable. The trio scampers through the narrow streets of Shelby without giving thought to the rest of the world. Then Jake’s life changes the first time he goes up in a plane: That ride in a battered old Mustang P-51 teaches him that no one but pilots can know true freedom. He joins the Air Force and comes back to Shelby when he’s on leave. Steve and Thel stay behind, making lives in the tough heartland town in Montana. Though farther apart, they remain a group—and will stay that way, whether they live or die.
Jake, Steve, and Thel are inseparable. The trio scampers through the narrow streets of Shelby without giving thought to the rest of the world. Then Jake’s life changes the first time he goes up in a plane: That ride in a battered old Mustang P-51 teaches him that no one but pilots can know true freedom. He joins the Air Force and comes back to Shelby when he’s on leave. Steve and Thel stay behind, making lives in the tough heartland town in Montana. Though farther apart, they remain a group—and will stay that way, whether they live or die.
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About James Grady
James Grady (b. 1949) is the author of screenplays, articles, and over a dozen critically acclaimed thrillers. Born in Shelby, Montana, Grady worked a variety of odd jobs, from hay bucker to gravedigger, before graduating from the University of Montana with a degree in journalism. In 1973, after years of acquiring rejection slips for short stories and poems, Grady sold his first novel: Six Days of the Condor, a sensational bestseller which was eventually adapted into a film starring Robert Redford. After moving to Washington, D.C. Grady worked for a syndicated columnist, investigating everything from espionage to drug trafficking. He quit after four years to focus on his own writing, and has spent the last three decades composing thrillers and screenplays. His body of work has won him France’s Grand Prix du Roman Noir, Italy’s Raymond Chandler Award, and Japan’s Baka-Misu literary prize. Grady’s most recent novel is Mad Dogs (2006). He and his wife live in a suburb of Washington, D.C.
Other books by James Grady
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