Above the Treetops - The True Story of William Faulkner and Bobby Little, the Son He Never Had - Hardcover

Jack Sacco

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0988468344 ISBN 13: 9780988468344

Publisher: Michelangelo Publishers, 2012

Synopsis

A Magical Story of the Deep South

Above the Treetops is the true story of novelist William Faulkner s heartwarming relationship with a young boy named Bobby Little, who grew up in Oxford, Mississippi.

The book opens with Faulkner taking the five-year-old Bobby up in his airplane. They fly just above the treetops over Oxford, over the Ole Miss campus, and over the surrounding countryside giving the young boy a wondrous view of the world laid out before him.

In the years that followed, Faulkner taught Bobby not only how to fly the plane, but perhaps more importantly, how to view the world in a unique way.

The William Faulkner that Bobby Little came to know and love through the years is quite a different character than the one put forth in academic manuals about the author s life. Above the Treetops presents the real William Faulkner - the flesh and blood character who, despite all his eccentricities and weaknesses, was a kind, caring, and adventurous soul, especially as seen through the eyes of an admiring child.

Award-winning author Jack Sacco interviewed Dr. Bobby Little now a retired ophthalmologist, age 82, living in Gulfport, Mississippi at length to gather the facts as he remembered them and to gain never-before-revealed insights into the true world of William Faulkner.

This is not another tired treatise on Faulkner s work as interpreted by those who never met the man. It is, instead, a true and magical story set in the deep South, revolving around one of the world s most famous and yet most private people.

About this title

About the Author

Jack Sacco is the award-winning and bestselling author of WHERE THE BIRDS NEVER SING and ABOVE THE TREETOPS.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and educated at the University of Notre Dame, Sacco is the winner of the Alabama Library Association's 2005 Author Award for WHERE THE BIRDS NEVER SING. Past winners of this prestigious award include Harper Lee for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Walker Percy for THE SECOND COMING, and Homer Hickam for ROCKET BOYS (on which the movie October Sky was based).

WHERE THE BIRDS NEVER SING, published by HarperCollins, launched Jack Sacco's successful writing career in impressive fashion. The book is a nonfiction account of his father Joe Sacco's experiences during the Second World War. The book has been praised by critics and readers alike, who become emotionally involved with the characters, enjoy the spirited dialogue, and appreciate the fact that this uplifting and superbly-written coming-of-age tale reads more like a novel than a history book.

Senator Bob Dole, Chairman of the National WWII Memorial and himself a distinguished Veteran, contributed the Foreword to the book. In addition, scholars of the Holocaust have been enthusiastic in their praise. WHERE THE BIRDS NEVER SING has been endorsed by Rabbi Abraham Cooper on behalf of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

An accomplished public speaker, Sacco has lectured at Yale University, the University of Notre Dame, UCLA, and USC, among others, as well as libraries, conferences, and special gatherings throughout the United States and abroad. He has also been the featured speaker at Maissau Castle in Vienna, Austria, where he addressed heads of the Royal Families of Europe, including the Habsburgs, the Liechtensteins, and the Luxembourgs. In 2004, Jack was honored by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Alabama for WHERE THE BIRDS NEVER SING.

Review

The bestselling author of Where the Birds Never Sing has unearthed a treasure of fresh new insight on Faulkner. The real-life characters that people the book are themselves as worthy and as entertaining as any fictional figure who ever found his or her way into one of Mr. Faulkner's novels. From start to finish, Above the Treetops soars. --Michael Harrelson, HottyToddy.com

Meticulously researched and brilliantly written, Jack Sacco's Above the Treetops is a rare glimpse into the private life of one of America s greatest novelists. Sacco effortlessly transports the reader to a bygone era and, in the process, masterfully reveals a William Faulkner the world has never known. --Bob Sawyer, Chairman, Mississippi Public Broadcasting

In Above the Treetops, we are given a unique look at one of America's preeminent writers through the eyes of a young boy who knew him as a neighbor, mentor, and friend. The cherished childhood memories of Bobby Little provide an enduring coda to William Faulkner's remarkable legacy. Jack Sacco has preserved a truly extraordinary account, and, in doing so, he delivers a captivating addition to the shelves of literary history. --Senator Roger Wicker, United States Senate

Edition details

• Publisher: Michelangelo Publishers
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0988468344
• ISBN 13: 9780988468344
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 271