Road Wise

Road Wise: A '70s Tale is a novel about cultural and psychological truths for twenty-somethings in America at that time. Life's possibilities are more relevant than the facts behind these events.

The story begins with young activists facing the economic pressures of urban renewal in 1970s Boston. A love story complicates the activist lives of Steven and Gilda. He wants to see more of America and to think about an academic career. She is committed to "alternative institutions" for troubled teens and suspects his bookishness. Steven's winding journeys west and east total nearly 24000 miles.

Sometimes Gilda is with him. More often, he enjoys solitary freedom. Between his travels, he lives in Oregon for a year with new co-workers and housemates. Political and religious uncertainties complicate the couple's lives and their future together. What does their "road wisdom" finally reveal about themselves and about social change in America?

Ed Mahoney has a BA and MA in English literature and a PhD in American Studies. He has taught literature and writing in Massachusetts, New Mexico, New Jersey, and North Carolina in several colleges and high schools. He lives in Lowell, Massachusetts, and currently teaches English as a Second Language to adults in the nearby city of Lawrence. In 2015, he self-published a "fictional memoir" called Young Eric Malone with Mill City Press. His daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren live in Denver, Colorado.