Book details

  • Genre:fiction
  • Sub-genre:Mystery & Detective / General
  • Language:English
  • Pages:264
  • Hardcover ISBN:9798317810405

The Key

By Jeff Brierton

Overview

After three tours of duty in the combat hell of Afghanistan, John McCormack returned home only to find himself lost and lacking meaning and purpose in his life. In trying to put the horrors of war behind him, he is troubled by deep doubts and unanswered questions regarding his future. In the hope of finding his path in this new civilian world, he sets out to explore his familial roots in Belgium in the hope of learning how his grandmother, a source of strength and guidance over the years, met the challenges of her life. What John can't anticipate is that his journey of self-discovery will have many twists and turns that will reveal the value of sacrifice, friendship and family, true love, and even redemption. Ultimately, it will surprise him and end in a way he never could have imagined, reminding him of the true meaning of courage, the power of love, and the circle of life.
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Description

The Key is the story of one hero's journey. After finding a key left behind in a Brussels tavern, John McCormack, an Afghan war veteran, sets aside his original purpose for traveling to the beautiful city of Brussels and sets out to discover the origin of the key. He can't know that the key will lead him to understand more about himself and his life than he ever might have imagined and will ultimately lead him to realize why he came to Brussels in the first place. This is a book for veterans coping with post-war life, for all of us who have suffered loss in our lives, and for anyone who believes that kindness, hope, and love can make all the difference in our lives. The Key is a book for heroes and those of us not so heroic; a book for lovers and those seeking to be loved, a book for travelers seeking self-discovery, and a book that teaches us that we all hold the key to our own redemption.
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About The Author

In 2012, Dr. Jeff Brierton retired after thirty seven years in public education as both a high school teacher and Principal of two high schools in the northern suburbs of Illinois. During those years, he earned B.A. in Political Science, an M.A. in International Relations, an M.S.Ed. in Educational Administration, an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in American History. Jeff also spent nineteen years in the US Army Reserve with most of those years as a drill sergeant. He is currently an undergraduate adjunct professor of Political Science and World History at National Louis University in Wheeling, Illinois. To date, Jeff has co-authored two textbooks on school leadership after which he self-published three books on school leadership, a personal memoir, and two collections of poems. Several of his poems have been included in a national poetry magazine. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys reading, writing, teaching, traveling, repairing bicycles in his garage, and baking bread. He has three sons and a daughter and lives in northern Illinois with his wife Mary Beth and their three rescue dogs.
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