James Valter Wade

Living in Shawnee Prairie, Texas, in 1932, young Will Carter knows more than he wants to about dying. The bank is about to foreclose on the farm he is barely managing in his father’s absence, his mother is fatally ill, the cotton crop is blight-ridden, and the unrelenting heat and drought shrivel everything in sight. He is filled with a boy’s righteous rage at his father, Thomas, who has not come home, so he convinces his friend Ollie to help him find him.

coming of age Literary Southern Spotlight NARROW THE ROAD Genre: Southern Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming of Age Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Pages: 306 Publication Date: 26 August 2025 Synopsis In this gripping coming-of-age odyssey, a young man’s quest to reunite his family takes him on a life-altering journey through the wilds of 1930s East Texas, where both danger and opportunity grow as thick as the pines.

James L. “Jim” Wade, 91, of Belleville, IL, born March 3, 1934, passed away Thursday, August 7, 2025, in O’Fallon, IL. Jim retired from civil service after 32 years, taking great pride in his work in the Apache Helicopter Project Management Office, where he played a key role in the development of the helicopter. A passionate classic car enthusiast, he was a proud member of the H.H. Franklin Club, Inc.