RISING TO SEA LEVEL

Clydeston Parch Coleman comes of age during the 1950's in a small town situated in the poverty-stricken mountains of north Georgia. The son of a share cropper, Parch encounters enormous obstacles in his  efforts to deal with a life of poverty, sickness, depression, ignorance and hopelessness that nearly devours him, as it does many of his friends and family members.

Drugs were not a factor in Parch's world, and alcohol and violence were not  significant considerations in his life during the 1950's. Other equally devastating evils run rampant, though, not the least of which is the hopelessness into which he was born. Through a combination of perseverance, some luck, and the help of  a few significant people, he is eventually able to prevail and elevate himself to a better life than he could have ever imagined. This account of his struggles, his defeats, his heartaches, and his successes should serve to inspire others who  are in any way disadvantaged. Though much in his life is tragic, the account of his journey through adolescence is often hilarious, and the reader will both laugh and cry with Parch.

The narration is from Parch's point of view and is  primarily in his language. It was a simple language, for those were simple times, especially in the isolated hills of north Georgia before the onset of mass communications which today flood us with up-to-the-minute details of ever-present and  massive devastation and destruction going on throughout the world. The primary negativism that Parch has to overcome originates from within himself and his own family because of his inherited set of circumstances.

The lessons Parch learns  are simple, yet universal. Regardless of the complexity of the world in which we live, the significant factors that control our destiny remain constant: faith and trust in a higher being, belief in oneself, family values, relationships,  integrity, perseverance, consideration for one's fellow man, and acceptance of responsibility for one's actions. These are but a few of the concepts Parch learns as he makes his way through adolescence. Although his surroundings and language  will appear foreign to some, the character and feelings of the people will be familiar.

In this fictional account of Parch's journey, the writer drew extensively from his own experiences while growing up in a similar environment. Although  the events described herein never took place, and none of the characters existed, the kinds of characters and the feelings instilled in Parch by these events are real. The situations, although fictional, provide a viable vehicle to convey the  real feelings to which anyone can relate.

This is also the story of a singular teacher who finds a way to inspire Parch to continue his education and to believe that he can create a better way of life for himself. This book is therefore  dedicated not only to that one-in-a-million teacher, but also to all teachers who might be unaware their significance in the lives of their students.