The Swimmer with a Rope in His Teeth: A Shadow Fable [Paperback] [Apr 20, 2004] Shaffer, Jeanne E.

This book is intended for ages 12-15. A treacherous river separates two lands. On one side is the 'Land of Good and Happiness' whose citizens know how to live life happily. On the other side is the 'Land of Evil and Woe', where a benighted people wallow in ignorance, unaware that they might greatly benefit from the enlightened civilisation on the other side. One day, a courageous swimmer from the Land of the Good embarks upon a dangerous journey to stretch a rope across the river to give the people on the other side a way out of their moral chaos and misery. What happens to the swimmer and how the recipients of the rope respond to his noble gesture make for a moving story.

Jeanne E. Shaffer is an award-winning writer, composer, musician, former actress, and host of a weekly public radio program called EINE KLEINE FRAUENMUSIK. Her compositions have been recorded and performed by international soloists. She taught for thirty-five years, the last thirteen as head of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Huntingdon College, Montgomery, Alabama.

Howard Cruse is an award-winning illustrator whose critically acclaimed graphic novel, STUCK RUBBER BABY, won literary awards in Germany and France. He has also published five book-length compilations of his comics from such periodicals as PLAYBOY, THE VILLAGE VOICE, ARTFORUM INTERNATIONAL, and HEAVY METAL. He is the creator of Wendel, a 1980s comic strip featured in THE ADVOCATE.