| |
Home Order Online Order by Mail Free Teaching Guide Interview Excerpt Contact Us
Click here for more details about Adam's second novel, Kingston Fugue!
What others are saying about Xamon Song:
"Huck Finn with a dash of Dean Moriarty; Holden Caulfield without the adolescent cynicism - captures the voice, spirit, and aspirations of the working-class twenty-first century GI!"
- Philip St. Clair, author of Acid Creek
"Thought-provoking - Mr. Stone's imagination strongly parallels our factual world, and he
handles his characters and the subject matter with sensitivity, wit, and sagacity!"
- Article 26, the Human Rights Education magazine of Amnesty International
"Rich layers of meaning - complex social and geopolitical issues and compelling characters that
challenge readers to consider the human responsibilities that go along with human rights!"
- Nancy Flowers, co-author, Local Action/Global Change: Learning about
the Human Rights of Women and Girls
Background
Xamon Song (the "X" is pronounced like a "Z") is thought-provoking literary fiction, and it is also a great teaching tool - an excellent way to introduce students to contemporary and historical human rights issues. At the high school level (secondary school, ages 14-18), Xamon Song is appropriate for use in English/Literature classes, as well as History, Social Studies, Geography, and other classes, either by itself or in conjunction with other human rights education materials. At the college level (higher education, ages 18 and up), Xamon Song is appropriate for use in English/Literature classes, as well as Anthropology, Political Science, Peace Studies, Business Ethics, and other classes, again either by itself or in conjunction with other human rights education materials. Xamon Song is also appropriate for nonformal human rights education. In all cases, it is recommended for audiences age 14 and up. To find out more about using Xamon Song as a teaching tool, click on "Free Teaching Guide" above.
The Story
Xamon Song introduces readers to two young soldiers, Eddie and Mike, from the nation of Carbonia. They are lifelong best friends and frustrated musicians who find themselves half a world away from home, conducting reconnaissance patrols deep in the forests of a tiny country called Xamon. The two friends are increasingly disillusioned, afraid their military service is no longer to the people of Carbonia, but to the profit statements of SangreDenar, a corporation from Carbonia with large logging interests in Xamon. Readers are also introduced to Digna Giraldo Cardona, a human rights activist from Xamon City who is drawn to the forests to investigate persistent rumors of human rights abuses by paramilitary mercenaries linked to SangreDenar. Digna is determined to see for herself what is happening in the most remote, and dangerous, part of her country. This is the world of Xamon Song, a view from the ground of the meeting of cultures, of the human costs of corporate malfeasance and governmental collusion. The result is a novel that is alarming and unforgettable - achingly human, disturbingly real.
The Author
Adam E. Stone is also the author of the novel Kingston Fugue, which was published by Global Dialogue Press in September 2007. His third novel, The New Harmonies, will be published in October 2009. His article "Human Rights Education and Public Policy in the United States: Mapping the Road Ahead" was published in the journal Human Rights Quarterly in May 2002. He presently lives in southern Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri.
Mr. Stone graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, specializing in Creative Writing. He later graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Southern Illinois University School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in Illinois.
|
Mr. Stone previously served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (a military attorney) in the United States Air Force Reserve and the Illinois Air National Guard. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps’ Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course (JASOC), where he was the winner of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America Award for Best Trial Skills and was first runner-up for the Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Award. He is also a graduate of the United States Air Force Commissioned Officer Training program, where he was named Distinguished Graduate, signifying graduation in the top 10 percent of his class of Air Force officers. Other military awards include the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal. Mr. Stone began his Air National Guard career as an enlisted member, serving as a Computer Graphics Specialist, then as an Education and Training Manager. He separated from the Air Force with an Honorable Discharge in October 2008, after more than 10 years of service.
|
