Dan Chiras has been writing non-fiction sustainability best-sellers (The Natural House and The Solar House to name two) and college textbooks, but before that, he wrote Here Stands Marshall. We are pleased to bring this previously unpublished manuscript into print (and e-Print.)

Here Stands Marshall perched precariously on the edge of insanity and self-destruction. Set against a backdrop of the turmoil of Vietnam, the changing roles of the sexes, and the growing awareness of environmental destruction, Marshall Rhodes struggles to find happiness and love – for himself and others. It's a harrowing journey that beelines deeply into a troubled human mind.

The son of an abusive father, Marshall abandons his residency in pediatrics and a failing marriage to become a writer. He moves from New Haven, Connecticut to Aspen, Colorado to create fiction that will help "set the world straight." For Marshall there is no shortage of surrounding hate, greed, violence, and stupidity. "No more mollycoddling the American psyche," he pledges.

Success proves elusive. The ink that spills from his pen has the smell of blood. Editors find his work interesting, but his outlook unredeemable.

Haunted by his father's disapproval, Marshall struggles to free himself from a crippling self-image. Will Marshall find the capacity to love himself -- and others? Will he heal the wounds from his past -- or fling himself further into despair? Will he learn that in fighting a monster, he must not become one? Will he find that the loving heart is, as Charles Dickens once wrote, "the truest wisdom"?

Dan Chiras is the author of more than twenty books. His best-known books are The Natural House and The Solar House. Recent titles incude Eco Kids: Raising Children Who Care for the Earth and Superbia!: 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods. He lives in an ecological home that he designed and built himself, and teaches course on renewable energy and green building at Colorado College.

"An exploration into the seldom visited world of self-paralysis. Sometime you admire Marshall; sometimes you just want to smack him; but you care about what happens to him."

"Here's a story that's equal parts Rocky Mountain High and Rocky Mountain Low. The Seventies are brought back to life with an exhilaratingly torturous tale of self-recrimination. Chiras establishes himself as a top-notch writer of fiction, too."

Out of the gate at full throttle! That best describes this first effort by Dan Chiras as a novelist. After some 30yrs of refinements, Here Stands Marshall, has finally hit the bookshelves and you should prepare yourself for quite a ride. With the reality of dysfunctional families, one night flings, and self-destruction, Chiras has broached a subject few like to talk about. Baggage. We all have it, but what to do when it's someone else's. Be you friend, family or lover, getting past it and instilling hope can be a sometimes endless pursuit. Thru hairpin turns and snowy passes with Marshall at the wheel, Chiras shows us one way, those carrying such a heavy load, can find their way to the top of the mountain.

In the world of environmental writers Dan Chiras is a superstar, the author of more than thirty (30!) books including best-sellers The Natural House and The Solar House.

16.95 This book is available from The Public Press for immediate electronic delivery as an eBOOK for $4.95. Pay through PayPal, and you'll be reading in seconds! reviews