When Money Rules, What Is the Purpose of Government?
"Jason As a Boy" by W. Schoellkopf is a classic tale of a boy's passage from adolescence to manhood.
NEW YORK, NY, May 24, 2013
The Greek legend of Jason and the Argonauts has been told and retold throughout the ages in books, on TV, even in blockbuster movies. But what if the story we all know and love was really just the imaginings of a young boy?This is the question W. Schoellkopf explores in his latest novel, "Jason As a Boy," a classic tale of a boy's passage from adolescence to manhood. In the book we meet another Jason—a ten-year-old boy left physically and intellectually impaired by a debilitating blood disease. His adoptive father, Cheiron, brings him back to health with intense exercise, love, and discipline. But while he suffered, Jason's mind lost years of development. Cheiron racked his mind for ways to restore his son's cognitive functioning.
The solution? Build up the boy's reasoning power by creating a story—an epic tale that will stimulate Jason's creativity and challenge him to think in ways he never has before. Echoing the three-thousand-year-old myth of Jason and the Argonauts, father and son invent a voyage and build a metaphorical ship for a group of imaginary heroes to sail the high seas in pursuit of glory and treasure. Over time Jason's mind improves, but he becomes so deeply involved in the voyage, he cannot tell fact from fiction.
"This is a story about the incredible power of imagination," says Mr. Schoellkopf, "and how easy it is to get lost in it if one isn't careful."
W. Schoellkopf has taught economics and worked in the banking industry. He lives on Long Island and is the author of four previous novels: "New York Measure," "Julia in Hellas," "Rainbows," and "Two Thousand Eighty-Four."