A Day in God's Country is a heroic journey in which reality teams with fiction and a dose of the supernatural, making the reader wonder, 'Could this happen?’ What or where is God's country? In the story, it is specifically described as a place on the East Coast. But, of course, it is not. It is, rather, a place in the heart, and, in the case of our central characters, the hearts of three fourteen-year-old boys. It all begins with the dream of a late-blooming boy named Francis, a dream any of us might have - if we liked to surf and loved a girl named Summer. The story opens in the once sleepy surf town of Virginia Beach, where calm waters, rolling dunes, deluxe hotels, and multimillion dollar mansions belie the personal struggles of residents and visitors. Social ills, familial discord, religious misunderstanding, greed, and war suffuse the tale, touching each character differently. Surfing is the common bond. Kids become deviant, introspective, or religious. And, finally, the disenchanted become suicidal, even murderous. In A Day in God's Country, readers get a peek into adolescence through the extraordinary choices and experiences of three boys. Perhaps the reader remembers their own days of youthful possibility and adventure when grand dreams had not yet been reduced to mere grandiosity. The story depicts current world circumstances. Throughout the tale, the reader gains a deeper sense for the East Coast locale. Of course, one cannot talk about beaches without talking about surfers, the heart and soul of such places. The relevance of A Day in God's Country lies in its honoring of adolescent struggle and message of hope.