A heartrending, dystopian tale of choices and control from the multi-award winning science fiction author of Under The Shadow Of Darkness.Living in Community 17, Isaias is exposed to a constant push-pull struggle. He wants to escape the fetid slum lanes by becoming a citizen—if he can only pass programming. He has a dream: a small home in the city, married to Jessia, surrounded by his children at his knees. Is that life even in his grasp?A dystopian tale that sizzles, sparkles and pops with energy, ingenuity, imagination, and a wonderfully heightened sense of adventure. You won’t want to put it down until the dramatic ending.In Community 17, all is not what it seems. Woe to any pleb found associating with the free thinkers for those taken to harmonization are never seen again. The free thinkers desire to upend society and stop the foul and inhumane treatment of plebs by alerting citizens to their plight through violent insurrection. They engage Isaias to that aim. The reward for successfully carrying out a mission is Shambala, a place where one can think freely. But is Shambala the paradise every pleb says it is?Jessia, Isaias’s best friend, wants to program, become a citizen and escape Community 17. Can Jessia share her feelings with Isaias and risk their friendship? Can she allow herself to love a man that might remain a pleb forever?A tale of a controlling society and the fatal choice to join it or fight against its atrocities, Community 17 is sure to delight fans of dystopian, romance drama. A chilling story in the best tradition of SF. A must read! Winifred Morris--Author of Bombed This book caused my spine to tingle with the very first sentence and the intensity of the storyline kept it tingling through to the very last page! The author has a natural story-telling gift and I thoroughly enjoyed his engaging writing style. Some of the characters will enrage you, while others will tug at your heartstrings; all of them will evoke emotions that will leave imprints in your mind long after you put down the book. I highly recommend Community 17 by James Cardona. It is full of action-packed drama, heightened suspense, and young romance, all in the middle of trying to save the world from a dystopian society. Great read! Reader Views A great book. Strong and magnetic moments. Attraction and the circumstances which keep them apart are excellently portrayed. Ann Girdharry--Author of Trading with Death Makes you think. A whirlwind of conflict. Kayl A. Karadjian--Author of Broken Blades Don't Sing Gold Medal Winner 2015 , The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Young Adult Category James has won multiple awards for his young adult science fiction and fantasy novels including three times being a finalist for the Wishing Shelf Awards and receiving the Independent Book Readers' Appreciation Group Award. He is planning on writing many, many more.           For his fiction, James tries to make his words come alive by pouring his real-life experiences into his characters such that many of the details described in his books actually happened and are told from the perspective of someone who was there. He also enjoys integrating a hard science approach to his science fiction, feeling that all aspects of his story telling, although perhaps not currently possible, could actually happen once our technology evolves.           James enjoys all things that can unleash the creative process including drawing, painting and creative writing and the not-so-typical such as robot design and writing computer code. He loves tinkering with computers, electronics and building robots and is the Lead Engineer for FIRST Robotics Team 316, a High School Robotics team operating out of Salem Community College.           Additionally James helps organize and run the PSEG Nuclear Salem County Math Showcase which he created back in the year 2000, a math competition for students from grades four through eight, typically attended each year by approximately 500-600 students.           James received his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Delaware with a minor in Religious Studies. He lives in Southern New Jersey and works as a Senior Test Engineer for the Laboratory and Testing Services group of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company.