Ben, Paul, and Ridge were best friends growing up, but after they went off to college, their lives began to diverge. When they reunite at Ridge's twenty-eighth birthday party, they find that if they want to remain friends, they must confront some major differences.
Ridge is materialistic and career focused, and he has a glamorous and rich girlfriend, Julia. But he's discovering Julia's values and priorities don't mesh with those of his friends, and she wants him to choose between his past and a future with her.
Ben's life is completely different from Ridge's. He teaches history at a community college but longs for an academic career at a more prestigious university. What will Ben have to give up for success?
Paul always feels like he is caught between Ridge and Ben. He shares some of Ben's ideals but also has some of Ridge's desire for material success. Will a mentor and a new love interest help him find the balance he craves?
Through Ridge, Ben, and Paul, author T. E. Stazyk encourages readers to challenge accepted norms and values and think about how they too can make a difference and change the world.
About the Author: Thomas E. Stazyk was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied business and accounting at the University of Dayton, Ohio, and did post graduate study in English and world literatures at The University of Auckland, New Zealand. His career has included such varied activities as international accounting and auditing, technology, and white collar crime investigations.
His work and life experiences have convinced him that meaningful, positive change can only occur through individual actions. His first novel, Identities, explored the relationship between personal identity and the individual's role in society and how individuals can make a difference in the world.
Thomas lives in Auckland, New Zealand, with his wife, Mahrukh, and they currently divide their time between Auckland and CUE Haven, a fifty-nine acre pastureland north of the city that they are restoring to a native New Zealand forest preserve for the community.
Thomas can be reached at testazyk@testazyk.com.
