New paperback edition of PATRICK released in the U.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Newton, Mass., October 21 – Publisher i30 Media has just released a new paperback edition of PATRICK by author Kevin G. McGuire. The novel, set in New York in the 1980s, relates to a story of a young man using a wheelchair who has several coming-of-age experiences during a visit to a New York City hospital. The author’s statement about the book and how it relates to his own experience growing up is published below.
The i30 Media edition of PATRICK (ISBN 978-1939924094) can be purchased online via patricknovel.com or in bookstores around the country. International editions will be available in November.
AUTHOR’S STATEMENT
In 1968, at the age of seven, I was struck by an intoxicated driver while playing baseball. This accident left me paralyzed from the waist down and has since forced me to use a wheelchair. Every summer following the accident, I was required to check into a New York City hospital for one week of physical evaluations and tests.
At this hospital, I was treated by the same physical therapists, nurses, and doctors; I was also assigned the same room. This room was invariably occupied with individuals who were from different ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. They were admitted to the hospital for various reasons.
I quickly realized that no matter how different my roommates were, the bonding that took place during these short visits was incredible. It was amazing both in celerity, as well as intensity. Our injuries, sicknesses, and the hospital room seemed to insulate us from the prejudices and hatred of the outside world.
I also discovered that as quickly as this bonding took hold in the hospital room, it left just as quickly as we returned to our natural environments. All the promises about visiting and keeping in touch vanished as soon as we were discharged. More importantly, the prejudices that dissipated within our hospital boundaries reappeared as we left our cocoon.
At the age of seventeen, I shared the most intense seven days of my life with three roommates at this New York City hospital. I will always love but will never see or talk with my roommates again.
I entered the hospital that week not yet an adult, but left no longer a child.
PATRICK is inspired by those seven days.
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For more information about PATRICK, please visit the official PATRICK website located at patricknovel.com. For other inquiries, please contact Ian Lamont at i30 Media at ian@i30media.com or 617 213-0811.