Wireman by Billie Sue Mosiman

My beloved copy of Wireman

Released: October 1984

I found Wireman in the horror section at my local used bookstore. I read Deadly Affections by Billie Sue Mosiman a few years ago, so I was familiar with the author and couldn't resist the cover of Wireman. This novel is a brief, though satisfying read if you appreciate the horror, thriller, & suspense genres.

The boy is evil!

Ten-year-old Nick Ringer and his younger brother Daley often fend for themselves since their mother devotes her time to drinking, drugs, and "whoring" the streets of Bloomington. In summer of 1960, Nick realizes he's only having fun when he's hurting or killing frogs, rodents, and other small animals. Fast forward to Vietnam 1974, and Nick and Daley are lone American survivors in a forest near Quang Ngai. Daley finally understands his brother's true evil nature when Nick easily kills a Vietnam soldier using a garrote without batting an eye. From that point on, there's no denying Nick is dangerous and needs help.

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

Released: February 2016

My interest in the Underground Railroad first began in 1989, when I was nine years old. My school librarian recommended The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton, which I absolutely fell in love with. My parents never talked to us kids about the history of slavery and the Underground Railroad, so from that point on, I became obsessed with reading about Harriet Tubman, the Civil Rights Movement, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

As soon as I saw "Underground Railroad" mentioned in the synopsis for The Mapmaker's Children, I was sold.