{"product_id":"aindreas-the-messenger-louisville-kentucky-1855-9780967366715","title":"Aindreas: The Messenger  Louisville  Kentucky 1855","description":"\u003cp\u003eMcDaniel sets an ambitious pace in the arena of historical fiction with this first volume of a projected four-book series following the colorful and curious life of Aindreas Rivers. The little guy who gets jostled and pushed around by great events as he struggles to survive  Aindreas is a heroic underdog  with a generous heart. A 13-year-old Irish-Catholic boy living in gaudy and grubby Louisville  Ky.  in 1855  a city where being Irish  Catholic  German or black usually means trouble. Aindreas is a messenger for a furniture manufacturer. Inquisitive and alert  he learns much and meets the high and lowbrows of city society  but he especially likes to hang around on the river front watching the steamboats on the mighty Ohio River. Described with homespun simplicity  Aindreass life is filled with wonder  uncertainty  responsibility and fear; he works hard to help support his impoverished family as his mother slowly dies from cancer. To make matters worse  the River! s are about to be evicted by their wealthy landlord  and Louisville is on the verge of racial  religious and ethnic anarchy as election day approaches and the Know-Nothing Party arms mobs of drunken thugs to intimidate voters. Aindreass beloved best friend  a middle-aged black slave named Isaac  is to be sold down the river  his family torn apart on the auction block  and Aindreas vows to find a way to help him. Aindreas is also cursed with seizures that scare him half to death  but these frightening episodes allow him to meet the mysterious Mr. Knight  who offers wise counsel. When Louisville explodes into violence  Aindreas acts to save Isaac and his family  and his family  and his Irish and German friends from danger. Making no pretense at sophistication  this is a well-crafted  exciting and heartwarming tale of a boys courage and innocence  somehow existing in a bleak society rife with corruption  bigotry and injustice. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45646875885621,"sku":"ByrdShop_0967366712","price":35.86,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780967366715.jpg?v=1781679432","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/aindreas-the-messenger-louisville-kentucky-1855-9780967366715","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}