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Kidnapped During a Custody Battle,
Taken Across Country, and Then Abandoned, a Boy Finds Himself Pitted
Against an Adult World in Which He Must Survive Psychologically.
 The most effective way to destroy the self-esteem of anyone is to
begin the psychological assault when that person is young,
impressionable, and vulnerable. Drawing on historical events that
resulted from years of research, Marigold Reynolds brings a
fictitious work to life in the person of Dean Powers, a youth of
wealthy parentage and tender upbringing. After being kidnapped by
his vindictive mother during a custody battle and then abandoned in
a hostile environment, the boy becomes a ward of the Bureau of Child
Welfare. Because his real identity is unknown, he is sent to a
series of foster homes where his master status dictates how he will
be treated by the strangers who take him into their homes.
Divided into three episodes to harmonize with the boy’s changing
circumstances, the focus of THE ODYSSEY is not on physical abuse
but on young Dean’s psychological reaction to what is happening to
him. Of necessity, the story is told in the first person since the
focus is on Dean’s state of mind, as noted by the following example
from Episode One:
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"My feelings of hope ebbed away. All that remained was the fear.
Indeed, I became a victim of fear. It stalked my every step, robbed
me of what little peace of mind I once had. I felt fear at the sound
of Rufus’ voice, at the very thought of inciting his wrath. I felt
it at the sound of Miss Kate’s footsteps. The fear became so intense
that sleep was a welcome refuge." |
Suitable
for young adults and mature audiences, THE ODYSSEY enlightens the
reader by referencing 120 fact-based footnote
references along with their sources, including THE ENDURING VISION,
from D.C. Heath and Company; SOCIOLOGY IN A CHANGING WORLD, from
Harcourt Brace & Company; THE AMERICAN JOURNEY, from Prentice Hall,
and a number of documentary films—all of which are combined to bring
history to life during the telling of this dramatic and moving
story.
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