Toil Under the Sun – A Novel
Toil Under the Sun is a powerful novel of an adopted boy's growth into manhood as a U.S. Marine during the "Forgotten War" in Korea. It is an intricately crafted account of friendship and betrayal...fear and courage...shame and atonement...which in exquisitely written prose explores the hidden rage and abnegation of an adopted child.
Many of the great themes of literature and of life are woven into this masterful story: love, honor, respect, courage, guilt, fear, faith, and redemption. And most importantly, the story is guided throughout by the fundamental belief that our lives have meaning far beyond our daily toil under the sun.
The author, R. Phillip Ritter, is the son of a Korean War veteran and the father of two beloved sons, one of whom served as a U.S. Marine in Operation Iraqi Freedom. This novel draws considerably from the author's personal experiences--of growing up with a deeply humble father who seldom spoke of his experiences in Korea, and of learning to face the many challenges of parenting two adopted sons. The historical allusions to the Marine defense of Fox Hill in North Korea, a struggle against overwhelming odds, imbues the story with a desperate realism that creates an important backdrop to this insightful exploration of the inner turmoil of an adopted child.
About Rich Ritter (Anchorage, Alaska Author)
The New Voice of the American West
Rich Ritter discovered a passion for writing during his tumultuous high school years. This zeal was consumed by technical writing during his lifelong profession as an architect until the age of 49 when he began work on his first novel.
Ritter was born in Iowa, raised in the social cauldron of Southern California, completed his architecture degree (Cal Poly SLO) in Denmark, and is a 40-year Alaska resident. He has traveled the world in search of adventure including such diverse destinations as East Berlin (twice through Checkpoint Charlie), Russia, the British Isles, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Southern Africa, Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the United States, particularly the west.
His fascination with Silver City, Idaho inspired him to write Nor Things to Come: A Trilogy of the American West, an endeavor that has consumed five years of historical research and writing. Ritter is the author of four books including Heart of Abigail, a historical novella of Juneau, Douglas, and Treadwell, Alaska.
