The Zorki Chronicles.

Lowenburg, Bill.  The Zorki Chronicles.  Amazon  2013  464p  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-49227-474-2  hs/adult  Conflict  VG-BN 

Miles is a disenfranchised high-school senior.  On his own most of the time, as his workaholic father travels on business and his mother has passed away, Miles rebels by walking away from sports, even though he excels at baseball.  When that fails to capture his father’s attention, Miles ditches classes and instead fills his time with taking photographs with a vintage Russian camera, the Zorki, that he picked up on eBay.

From this point on, the book becomes a page-turning political thriller.   “Cowgirl” Connie, a woefully under-qualified presidential candidate, wins the election, and the United States is soon fighting a war on multiple fronts while personal liberties are vanishing.  Each chapter features three news headlines that set the time, place, and tone.  It is clearly a world defined by fear, and yet Miles continues to pursue his ideals of respect and integrity while living for his art.  Cognizant that he cannot be an agent for change, Miles instead records the issues with his Zorki.  Inevitably, Miles’ photographs become an issue.

This is a compelling coming-of-age story with a strong, authentic voice.           

Summary: Miles searches for self-identity after walking away from sports.  He finds inspiration through the viewfinder of his camera.

Coming of age-Fiction                                       --Hilary Welliver