The winds of change were everywhere and like much of youth in the 60's and 70's, Mark and Sara became swept up in the counterculture as they attended a large university in the Midwest. It was a turbulent time as people throughout the country questioned the institutions and traditions around them. Some also pushed the boundaries of thought, experience, and consciousness. Mark and Sara would not only explore their separate identities within this context, but ultimately find each other while absorbed in the pursuit.
With greater immersion in the counterculture, however, came a need to navigate between this foreign new world and one embodied by old friends, family, and significant others-people who could never fully understand the changes that were being wrought. For Mark and Sara, this meant being pulled in opposing directions, maintaining some ties, obstructing others, and trying to remain true to themselves.
Bright Colors is a novel which addresses the conflicts and choices which were confronted by many of the people who lived in those times. The story is told against the backdrop of civil rights struggles, war, political scandal, and the richness of the culture. It looks at this period with fresh honesty, offering an unflinching depiction of how this era was lived amid the sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and social change. Yet, the primary focus is on the humanity of the central characters-their strengths & quirks, warmth, humor, and the way they meet the challenges of life. These aren't the cartoonish stereotypes one often sees in a countercultural treatment, but people with real depth and substance. Written by an author who knows the terrain well, Bright Colors has much to say about young relationships, the nature of people, and the lessons of an incredible moment in America. Whether readers want to revisit old times or get a unique and enlightening glimpse of a multifaceted era, this book will provide many hours of thought and entertainment.
NOTE: This book contains passages of frank sexuality which are reflective of a young relationship. Those who are easily offended by such detailed material, need to take heed. In all cases, this content is used to support a realistic story and not for gratuitous purposes.
About the Author: Michael Spry is a writer of fiction, general non-fiction, and technical works who has contributed to books, newspapers, and periodicals. He has been a social activist throughout his adult life, working in the clean indoor-air movement, reform related to adoption and counseling for untimely pregnancies, and promoting the civil rights of non-theistic people in the U.S. Spry earned a BS in psychology from Michigan State University in 1974 and an AAS in electronics technology from Northwestern Michigan College in 1981. After an early career as a social worker in the adult mental health field, he spent four years as an electronics educator and 24 years in the thermoelectric technology field as an electrical engineering technologist. He is a long-time resident of the northern lower peninsula of Michigan.
