Against the Wind

by Scott Fields

Tony Franko, a young black man from Detroit, escapes from prison and hides out in a small town. He dresses up like a priest and tells Father McKinley, the local priest, that he was sent by the bishop to help out. McKinley is not entirely convinced that he is telling the truth but takes him in anyhow.Tony is walking downtown and comes across an automobile accident. A young boy is hurt and lying in the street. Tony picks him up and runs across town to the doctor's office. As the doctor and nurse frantically work on the boy, Tony stays by his side. When the boy finally passes away and the medical staff walks away, Tony is heartbroken. It was if he was reliving the death of his brother. In a last desperate attempt at saving this boy, Tony for the first time in his life utters a prayer asking God to spare this young life. Almost immediately, the boy's heartbeat returns. This is a life-changing event in Tony's life. He now not only believes in God; he wants to follow in Jesus' footsteps by helping others. To this end, his first triumph is to reunite a mother and son who had been estranged for years. From there, he organizes and opens a soup kitchen to feed the poor. Ultimately, he helps a man by the name of Larry Joseph to create a place called Chapel Hill where children with cancer can spend a weekend with their families.Years later, Tony was actually ordained as a priest and spent the rest of his life in the service of helping others.

212 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2017

About the author

He was born and raised in La Rue, Ohio, a small village
nestled in the farmlands of mid Ohio. It was there that he
learned to appreciate small town life and country living.
After graduating from Ohio University in 1970 with a degree
in English Literature, he entered the field of retail
management and for the next 30 years managed many stores in
the Detroit, Michigan area.

In 1996 with a lifelong dream of being a writer, he started
writing short stories. Within the next two years, he had
four stories published. Since then, his first novel, All
Those Years Ago, was published, and in the fall of 2004,
his second novel, A Summer Harvest, was released. His third
novel, The Road Back Home, was published in the fall of
2007 by Charles River Press, and his fourth novel, Last
Days of Summer, was released by Whiskey Creek Press.
In the spring of 2012, Summer Heat was published by
Outer Banks Publishing. The Mansfield Killings was released in December of 2012.
Scott and his wife, Deb, now live in Mansfield, Ohio. Their
children, Sara, Angela, Michael, and Matt live in the
Detroit area.

Reviews

[Betty]

An uplifting reading experience! Excellent charater descriptions! Hooked from page one!

I was hooked on this book from the very first page. Scott Fields is a stellar writer whose seemibgly mis-matched main characters will warm your heart.
This is a story of how a deep, abiding friendship developed between an escaped convict and a small-town Ohio priest. It has everything a good book needs: drama, adventure, unrequited love, and huge dollops of faith, hope and charity.
I recommend this book to everyone because there are valuable lessons to be learned in its pages. A truly feel-good book...