In this collection of stories that reveal the strength and frailty of the human spirit, the award-winning author offers up the subject of human vulnerability with a spareness of language and an intensity of emotion that are the hallmarks of his fiction. In These Stories, with the spareness of language and the intensity of emotion and imagery that are the hallmarks of his fiction, Gary Paulsen offers up the subject of human vulnerability; he captures it, holds it to a mirror, and marvels at the light and bone-edged beauty there. Here a drunken Vietnam vet stumbles into a cemetery, where he helps to deliver the second Christ; a young man observes a silent ritual performed by his dying father-in-law in an ancient canyon; a boy witnesses the violence of nature in the midst of war; an older and more cynical man discovers inspiration among the ladies of the library. For those familiar with Gary Paulsen's work - including the autobiographical Eastern Sun, Winter Moon and his lyrical tribute to farm life, Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass - and for those who are reading his fiction for the first time, The Madonna Stories is an experience that will not be forgotten. GARY PAULSEN (1939 - 2021) wrote nearly two hundred books for young people, including the Newbery Honor Books Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room.