To the Bright and Shining Sun

This early novel by James Lee Burke is a compelling coming-of-age story set in the Appalachian mountains during the early 1960s. It follows Perry Woodson Hatfield James as he navigates the tensions between family loyalty and the temptations of city life. With a vivid sense of time and place, the story explores his journey from boyhood to manhood amidst the rugged wilderness of Kentucky.