Theodore James Putala

A Hero for Our Time Theodore James Putala

Jamie Tarnowski, a sweet bright kid returns to Amherst, the town of his birth, to attend college. Here's what it's like at an elite school encountering its egos, structures, and plans for the future. He finds himself caught between two worlds, one overseen by his father, a professor, that represents the true meaning of a liberal arts education, the other guided by fitting in to the professional world of lawyers, doctors and bankers. In a class taught by his mentor about Hamlet, Jamie is informed that certain people can 'see ghosts.' And he meets a girl. Jamie, a maverick, Quixotic, intends to get the most out of the college educational experience, with bumps and misadventures along the way. At the risk of falling from academic grace, he sets out following his dreams, guided by the spiritual, seeking enlightenment. Told from a young man's perspective, echoing Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield, with a touch of the Chekovian, Jamie Tarnowski gets under your skin, and you just might end up seeing things his way.