Synopsis
Paul Ellsworth, the youngest child in an upper-middle-class Midwestern family, seems privileged in many ways. He enjoys strong and loving relationships with his mother and sister; while his father, Rex, owns a very successful Harley-Davidson dealership. Unfortunately for Paul, Rex also owns a control-entitlement complex that stems from his belief in strong paternal guidance. Paul's oldest brother Jason thrives on this. Paul does not. To make matters worse, Paul hates motorcycles while growing up, and Rex's repeated attempts to force him to learn to ride contribute to their worsening rift. As Paul's sister Lori slowly falls for Jason's best friend, Brian, a bully who torments Paul at every opportunity, Paul graduates high school and leaves home for the service and college. Years later, Paul works at a challenging but occasionally rewarding job as a high school counselor. To get over a failed relationship, Paul rethinks his feelings toward motorcycles and learns to ride, pleased with his fetish for high-performance import bikes, which he knows his father hates. After Paul embarks on a promising new relationship with a brilliant young woman he meets at a bike rally, he discovers that his sister is embroiled in an exploitative marriage with Brian the bully. Paul returns home to confront his father, brother, and brother-in-law in a series of showdowns with potentially fatal results. With a narrative combining provocative dialogue and fast-paced action, Cycles of Control explores two conflicts: One between abusers and those who defy them; the other between diverse and divisive elements in one of America's most fascinating sub-cultures, the motorcycling community.
About the Author
Dr. Frank B. Flanders is an Assistant Professor of Agriculture Education at the University of Georgia. He has served Agriculture Education for over thirty-five years. Dr. Flanders taught high school agriculture education for six years and was a Special Instructor in Agricultural Education at the University of Georgia for 15 years. Dr. Flanders has extensive experience in developing agriculture education teaching materials. He served as the Agriculture Education Curriculum Coordinator in Georgia, where he developed and maintained the Agricultural Education website, produced instructional DVDs and CDs for teachers, managed curriculum projects, and taught numerous workshops for teachers. He also served as the Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education Resource Network Curriculum Coordinator for three years. Dr. Flanders served on the writing team for the National Standards in Agriculture Education and served as lead writer for the National Standards on Animal Science. In 2003, Dr. Flanders was inducted into the Georgia Agriculture Education Hall of Fame and received the National Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award from the Professional Fraternity Association. He has also received the Outstanding Faculty Member in Agriculture Education Award and the Outstanding Service and Faculty Member Award from the University of Georgia Student Government Association.
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