A fourteen-year old American boy and his parents escape from the Nazi-occupied Balkans during World War II. They travel from Bulgaria through Turkey and the Middle East to America but danger pursues them on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic when their ship is attacked by a German submarine, and threatened by the battleship Tirpitz. With compelling prose Stoltzfus makes each character come vividly alive: Mirka, a Gypsy, the family maid who seduces the boy, Mireille, a precocious French girl who introduces him to Sade's Philosophy in the Boudoir, his devout father, a pacifist, Archangel and Satan fighting over the boy's soul, which he thinks is going in one direction but, because soul is all around him, is going everywhere and nowhere. Although Transgression describes war and seduction, it is also a trip through international literature. Throughout, the wind, flowers, nightingales and symbolic colors in Oriental rugs foreshadow things to come. Hitler's rants, poetry and dreams appear as recurring tropes--images that are woven into the woof and weft of the writing process. They are the golden thread. Subtly honed with hallmark precision and keen insight, Transgression exemplifies the best in narrative art. "One of the most fascinating autofictions I have read over the past few years, Transgression is a page-turner and one of a kind too." - Christian Moraru, Professor of American Literature & Critical Theory, University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Author of New Cultural History. Diane Donovan, in the Midwest Book Review , recommends Transgression highly for book discussion groups "that look for stories about maturity achieved during times of social, political, and personal chaos." Feathered Quill Book Reviews calls Transgression "a fascinating tapestry of youth's hopes, ambitions and increasing understanding of the ways of the world, set against a background of war and destruction." Literary Titan has given the book a Silver Award, and "recommends Transgression to readers looking for an intellectually invigorating yet emotionally resonant historical fiction novel that provides a look at humanity during a monumentally difficult time in history." Kathy L. Brown, in the Independent Book Review , says: "Readers interested in first-person historical accounts as well as moral philosophy questions and coming-of-age stories will enjoy Transgression. [It is] replete with issues relevant to modern life and ripe for discussion on many levels." Goodreads users have given Transgression 4 stars, and lists it as a "Want to Read Book." "Transgression is unbelievably compelling and a GREAT read!... An exquisite book!!" Juliet MacCannell, Professor Emerita, University of California. "The plot's transgressions synthesize progression and regression in the same way as the chronology of the story synthesizes the notion of time, whether historical or personal, in the timelessness of the text. [Stoltzfus's] unique style, yet another synthesis between oral and Britten expression, never fails to absorb the reader by a permanent sense of immediacy and need to go on." -- Raymond Gay-Crosier, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida. Transgression: Wow!! your writing is beautiful, powerful, deliberate, intense. It really grips me. You held my interest the whole time--every minute. You created this intense story from so many angles and layers--spiritual religious, historical, filled with beautiful, poetic language and imagery. You maintained a tension throughout the stories keeping me moving from one to the next always wondering what will happen next. I am still looking for your stories to continue. Your character's affairs are intense and evocative. [He/they] propels us to consider our own journeys. So many details in your stories triggered many memories and connections [...] your insights resonate [...] particularly yearning for liberation from indoctrination. [...] I love your discussion of writing and freedom [... and] your imagery is so strong and meaningful [...] how your teacher and books and writing helped you heal." - Martha Bloomfield, an award-winning author of Hmong Americans in Michigan and Romanies in Michigan. "In this new coming-of-age memoir/novel, ... literature and early sex, while not uncommon as adolescent ladders out of the stone den of puritanism, find, in Stoltzfus's beautifully poised prose, a lucid, powerful and archetypal enunciation here." -- John Diamond-Nigh, Professor Emeritus, Elmira College. "Stoltzfus's command of engaging historical detail and cultural trappings, both significant and charmingly incidental, assures our attentive investment in the rites of passage for one and a passage of safety for all." -- Dwight Yates, Professor Emeritus, University of California. I have just finished reading Transgression and found it compelling, thoughtful, informative and engaging. You are truly an extraordinary writer! Your bo