Together We Fall

In a compelling tale of loyalty among teenagers, Together We Fall tells how four boys-a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior at a high school on the outskirts of Kansas City-form a brotherhood built on their shared experience of humiliation, sexual and physical abuse, and abandonment. As their friendship deepens, we learn how fear, intolerance, and ignorance on the part of their parents, as well as intense bullying by peers, have been consistently ignored by the very institutions and professionals that are supposed to protect these boys on their paths to becoming well-adjusted young men. As the bond between Christian, Shawn, Bobby and J.J. deepens, they figure out a way to avenge their suffering and put the world on notice about their plight. We witness the unfolding of each boy's vulnerability in his willingness to reveal his suffering to the others, and the united strength that rises out of this group's truth-telling. Sadly, their commitment to stand by one another will lead to heartbreaking consequences. They devise a plan aimed at ending their pain and at the same time putting the world on notice that such tragedy must be prevented in the future. The novel is completely fictional, but is based on the very real social problem continuing to plague America's young people.