Rendezvous With Destiny

About the Book

RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY is a revealing portrait of small-town life in the forties, when America tottered on the rim of world war. Jimmy Sutridge comes of age, coping with his sexuality on the eve of graduation from high school.

He rebels against the constrictive mind-sets and cookie cutter conformity of the town, which brings him into conflict with his father. His constant ally and confidant is his aging grandad.

When his prodigal older brother, Cliff, blows into the stodgy town with a raucous traveling carnival, Jimmy’s fortunes change. He meets Stella, the most beautiful girl in the world, ironically in the sideshow run by his brother. He falls desperately in love with her, only to have his romance interrupted by war.

Jimmy finds himself abandoned on a small beach in Sicily with his military unit. When a Nazi machine gun nest threatens to annihilate them, Jimmy devises a way to wipe out the enemy, though it almost costs his life.

Reunited with Stella, he returns to his hometown and a hero’s welcome. But he shakes off the trappings of glory and tells the town what he really thinks of it in a searing speech to the crowd. Finally, he and Stella leave the past behind to search out their own destiny.

The book, with fascinating twists and turns, provides insight into how America evolved into the nation of today. Visit another time and place. Explore our historical roots. Come, live in the forties, a time of stark contrasts, with its ecstasies and disasters, sweet swing music and dissonant chords of depression and war, its sprightly human comedy and the undertows of dark Faustian drama

About the Author

Wilbur Washburn was born and raised in California. He attended the University of California, where he earned A.A., A.B., M.A. and Ed.D. degrees. He devoted many years to teaching, and is now retired. He has a published novel, DAYS IN THE SUN, which has become a pop culture favorite.