Amazon Clint Adams : no time for fear Buy.com Libreriauniversitaria.it Category:  Vision/Metaphysical Publisher: Credo Italia ISBN-10:  0976837501 Type: Fiction Pages: 212 Copyright: June 30, 2005 ISBN-13: 9780976837503 Miguel is unique. He has a lifetime measured by days not years; he happens to live with E.B., but he spends little time thinking about it. For Miguel, living with fear is far more deadly than this fatal disease could ever be. This is the first in a series of three fear-eliminating novels for teens, followed by DON'T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN and MY WATCH DOESN'T TELL TIME. synopsis For some, learning to exist without fear is an option. For twelve-year old Miguel Estes, it’s a necessity. Miguel happens to live with a fatal form of the skin-blistering disease E.B., yet believing he’ll have a future is what sustains him. “The longer you keep your To Do list, the longer you’ll have to hang around to get everything done,” says Miguel’s Aunt Shirley. Through his insightful aunt, through his dreams about his brother Jorge in heaven, and through the challenging lessons he’s chosen to learn, Miguel is able to eliminate nearly every fear within him—all that’s left is his mighty power of belief. In the end, Miguel is the ultimate victor; he realizes he’s living life the way it was meant to be lived…without fear.   Excerpt chapter one: excerpt “Mom, do you think Aunt Shirley changed her hair again?” I asked. “My goodness, Miguel, I certainly hope not. I think she changes hairstyles as often as she changes clothes.” “I kind of like that she does that. It always makes me wonder what she’s going to look like next.” “Well, try not to say anything rude when you see her.” “I won’t, Mom.” As soon as I was picturing my aunt with short-spiked orange and black hair, I noticed that Mom had missed the turn to go south on Highway 101. “Mom, we should have stayed straight, to get to the airport.” “Oh, I know. This will take us there just the same.” “But the airport is right off 101.” “280 connects to 101 in San Bruno, Miguel. We’ll be there in plenty of time. Her flight might even be a little bit late. Not to worry.” “It just seems like 280 takes us more out of the way.” “There are just too many accidents on 101. Remember how those two people died in that horrible pile up last week? That was awful. Highway 101 is much too dangerous. Is your seat belt fastened? Make sure your door is locked.” Mom always reminded me to lock my door whenever I was in a car. She said that if your car door is locked, your body won’t drag on the ground if you’re thrown out during an accident. Mom was real good at thinking about things other people forgot. In just about an hour we were going to see Aunt Shirley for the first time in over a year. Aunt Shirley was my mom’s sister, but they’re definitely like night and day. Sometimes it’s hard to think that they’re related at all. They didn’t even look the same. Mom's thirty-six, tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. Aunt Shirley's twenty-nine, with brown hair most of the time, and about five-three. But the absolute major difference is the way they lived their lives. My mom always used to say that Aunt Shirley was unique and one of a kind. And I guess that’s true. She wasn’t just different from Mom, she was different from anyone I’d ever known. Aunt Shirley’s the only person who ever told me I was going to survive.

A great summer read! September 25, 2006
Is it possible to overcome all of your fears? What do you think? Fear ain’t all that is a fiction novel that tells about a 13 year old boy, Miguelito, who suffers with Epidermolysis Bullosa. E.B. is a skin disease that forces him to bandage himself together every morning, because without the bandages he is too weak to move. For most of the book, Miguelito’s dad, whom he is very close to, is in jail in El Salvador. Meanwhile, his mother runs off to get married to a Hollywood producer. The only people that are there for him are his nurse, Khadijah, who’s a very dear friend, and his Aunt Shirley who tries to teach him the life-long lesson of overcoming fear. Will he realize that no matter how many obstacles are in his path, everyone’s life is worth living? Will he, can he eliminate all of his fears? This fascinating first of two novels shows how someone can be so weak yet so strong at the same time. Clint Adams is from San Francisco, CA, but is currently based in Italy. I had the great pleasure of being able to meet him and getting to know him as an author and a friend. I think it’s so smart that he uses his surroundings together with his imagination to capture the character’s setting. Adams uses detailed description to grab the reader’s attention into feeling Miguelito’s pain. He does this by creating a setting in which it is difficult for Miguelito to handle what life has thrown at him. I can just imagine the difficulty he has each day, bathing and bandaging himself so that his skin doesn’t blister. I thought as he did when he said... “If god gave us life to live why did so many people on earth have diseases? We should either live or die.”

I was very touched by this novel because it pulled me, as a reader, into the book. If you can handle sadness, but are looking for an experience of a lifetime, then this is the book for you. You have to be a patient and committed reader because the first few pages may not be what you usually enjoy. I was personally drawn into this book because eager to understand other’s viewpoints. I can relate to the setting because it takes place in San Francisco, where I live. It is about a person’s battle with a severe disease, which would usually not appeal to me as a must-read book, but rather a sad one. Once I got into the story, there was no way you could make me put down the book, even for chocolate, and boy do I love chocolate! This novel can be read by all ages, and makes for a great discussion book! If this were to be made into a movie, it would not be your stereotype chick flick, that’s for sure, because this is a real one of a kind novel. If you’re silly enough to not pick up this book, then it’s your loss!

I also enjoyed the sequel, 'Don't be afraid of heaven'

--A Kid's Review

Don't give fear a chance, September 29, 2005
12-year old Miguel is suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa (E.B.), a severe genetic skin disease. Although the boy has to face serious difficulties nearly every day, he's always trying to develop positive aspects for his future. On the one hand, always slowed down by his anxious and nervous mother, and on the other hand encouraged by his strong Aunt Shirley, Miguel is finally able to overcome fears and troubles and to find his own view of life, even being an example for others......

Clint Adams analyzes the different characters in his novel in a very sensitive way so they become "real" persons in the reader's imagination. This story could be a lesson how to eliminate fears and troubles, and is suitable for both kids and adults.

-- Dr. Gernot Reisner from Ardning, Styria Austria