Big Dogs and Flyboys

Narrated by Adam Oney from his hospital bed in a burn unit, Sam Michel’s first novel centers around two boys, one black, the other white. They meet as eight-year-olds on an Air Force base in the Nevada desert where they share the bond of wanting to fly, like Adam’s father in his Phantom F-4 fighter. The boys navigate their childhood through fixed constellations of race and class as Adam loses his father to martinis and his fabled past, his mother to Reverend Marsh. He also faces losing Mike’s friendship, and very nearly loses his life. Throughout it all, Adam is buoyed by his talent for happiness and the strength of his flyer’s heart.