Toil Under The Sun

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.

R. Phillip Ritter is the son of a father who served as a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army in the Korean War and a mother who taught first grade for nearly three decades. Born in the Midwest during the war, his family moved to Southern California before he began the first grade. He attended second grade through high school in Anaheim, and then California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He graduated with a bachelor of architecture degree. He completed his thesis year in Denmark, and while there met Kristine (born in Alaska, she was completing her second year of architecture through the University of Idaho) in the balcony of the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen during a performance of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. He moved to Alaska and married Kris a few years later, and has lived there ever since. Both continue to practice architecture. The author and his wife have two beloved sons, one who served as a U.S. Marine in Iraq, and one who is a gifted artist. Although the author has written seriously since the age of 15, this was his first novel. He published his second book, Heart of Abigail: A Lyric Novella of Juneau, Douglas and Treadwell, in 2009. The author dedicated Toil Under the Sun to his father, a member of the "Greatest Generation," two days before his death.