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West Point Deep Cover
Based on a true story of a West Point cadet turned into a CIA spy, then placed as a mole within Russia
503 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2022
6 people are currently reading
2011 people want to read
About the author
Rik Thistle
30 books10 followersI was born in Toronto but I grew up in Michigan and wrote short stories for myself throughout my teen years not having the courage or confidence to publish them at that time. After college I moved to the San Diego area and was a business executive involved in high technology products.
I wrote my first novel (Jihadi Red Death) in 2016 and have completed eleven novels since.
My latest fiction novel is Major League Dreams.
Set in rural Michigan in the mid-1960s, when life was simpler and less chaotic, Major League Dreams follows the lives of two inseparable twelve-year-old boys, Hank and Richie, as they navigate the hardships of growing up in a world that seems determined to hold them back.
Hank is an American Indian who is a towering, gifted athlete with an unwavering passion for baseball. He dreams of playing Major League Baseball. But his home life is anything but supportive. His father, a hardened World War II veteran and alcoholic, sees no future in baseball and expects Hank to work in the grueling labor of their family farm. With his mother unwilling to confront her husband and his father’s expectations suffocating him, Hank wants to break free from the path laid out for him.
Richie, on the other hand, is brilliant but physically limited. Born with Perthes hip disease, where one leg is shorter than the other, he’s unable to play the sport he loves. As one of the few Black kids in the small town of Saline, he faces his own struggles but remains fiercely loyal to Hank. Though he may never step onto the field himself, Richie devotes himself to Hank’s dream, using his sharp intellect to analyze the game and help Hank develop devastating new pitches.
The two boys grow up love-struck by Amy, a classmate and daughter of their baseball coach. She helps the boys with their awkwardness as they transition into adulthood. Together, they form an unbreakable trio that helps them reach their full potential.
As the boys grow, they push against the barriers of their circumstances, defying racial divides, personal struggles, and the weight of societal expectations. Through triumph and heartbreak, wins and losses, they prove that success isn’t just about talent—it’s about persistence, loyalty, and unwavering belief in each other. But when one of them faces an unexpected battle that neither athleticism nor intelligence can solve, their bond is tested like never before.
A moving coming-of-age story set in a rapidly changing America, Major League Dreams is a testament to friendship, determination, and the power of dreams.
I wrote my first novel (Jihadi Red Death) in 2016 and have completed eleven novels since.
My latest fiction novel is Major League Dreams.
Set in rural Michigan in the mid-1960s, when life was simpler and less chaotic, Major League Dreams follows the lives of two inseparable twelve-year-old boys, Hank and Richie, as they navigate the hardships of growing up in a world that seems determined to hold them back.
Hank is an American Indian who is a towering, gifted athlete with an unwavering passion for baseball. He dreams of playing Major League Baseball. But his home life is anything but supportive. His father, a hardened World War II veteran and alcoholic, sees no future in baseball and expects Hank to work in the grueling labor of their family farm. With his mother unwilling to confront her husband and his father’s expectations suffocating him, Hank wants to break free from the path laid out for him.
Richie, on the other hand, is brilliant but physically limited. Born with Perthes hip disease, where one leg is shorter than the other, he’s unable to play the sport he loves. As one of the few Black kids in the small town of Saline, he faces his own struggles but remains fiercely loyal to Hank. Though he may never step onto the field himself, Richie devotes himself to Hank’s dream, using his sharp intellect to analyze the game and help Hank develop devastating new pitches.
The two boys grow up love-struck by Amy, a classmate and daughter of their baseball coach. She helps the boys with their awkwardness as they transition into adulthood. Together, they form an unbreakable trio that helps them reach their full potential.
As the boys grow, they push against the barriers of their circumstances, defying racial divides, personal struggles, and the weight of societal expectations. Through triumph and heartbreak, wins and losses, they prove that success isn’t just about talent—it’s about persistence, loyalty, and unwavering belief in each other. But when one of them faces an unexpected battle that neither athleticism nor intelligence can solve, their bond is tested like never before.
A moving coming-of-age story set in a rapidly changing America, Major League Dreams is a testament to friendship, determination, and the power of dreams.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 17, 2022
Five stars: This is a very good storyline about military life in the USA and Russia. I was in the U.S. Army and can relate to some of the experiences. I enjoyed the easy to follow timeline, the historical accounts which provided background but were not to heavy in scope, and the development of the key characters. I found the novel very interesting from the very beginning, which resulted in my completion of the story faster than normal for me.
December 18, 2022
Great Read and look at affairs of that period
Engaging from the outset and a great look into the games these countries play and the men/women who are the pawns
Engaging from the outset and a great look into the games these countries play and the men/women who are the pawns
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews