For Cyrus Buckman, the idea of home has always been fleeting. An orphaned grandson of migrant farmers, he's never stayed in the same town for more than two growing seasons. So while others develop long-lasting, meaningful friendships, Cyrus tends to spend time in his own head-a private world of "Imagines and Ghosts," as his grandfather would put it.
But when Cyrus meets Jake Thompson, "big man on campus" and local stud, everything seems to change. Drawn out of his lonely, imaginative world, Cyrus is introduced to a whole host of boyish excursions and adventures-and grows fond of his new friend in a way he has never known.
All good things must come to an end, however, and it's not long before Cyrus' friendship with Jake comes to a sudden and screeching halt. Left reeling by this untimely loss, Cyrus finds solace in an unlikely new confidant-one with important lessons to teach him about life, redemption, and the power of family.
A memorable, semiautobiographical tale about the bonds that hold us together, The Amazing Friendship of Argie Cornfield and Cyrus Buckman transports readers to the post-Depression era for a heartwarming story of friendship lost and found.
About the Author: James Ernest Hammond Jr. was raised at Cal Farley's Boy Ranch with his two younger brothers. There, he endured a number of unforgettable tragedies-but now he understands that, in the face of the storm, he was being shaped and molded into something more.
His debut novel, The Amazing Friendship of Argie Cornfield and Cyrus Buckman, serves as a metaphorical memoir of those years, with each character representing someone or something from his early life.
