David Hill

"David Hill had to die so that Anand Chintan could be born. My story is like the caterpillar spinning a cocoon, entering into death, and then being reborn as a winged creature. For me, meditation and the various therapy groups provided the cocoon. I entered as a world-weary intellectual, an alcoholic, deluded, manic-depressive atheist, and I emerged as a bright-eyed explorer of new worlds." Travel with David Hill as he moves from depression and despair...

Describes the history of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The author plots the trajectory of everything from organized crime to America's fraught racial past, examining how a town synonymous with white gangsters supported a burgeoning black middle class. He reveals how the louche underbelly of the South was also home to veterans hospitals and baseball's spring training grounds, giving rise to everyone from Babe Ruth to President Bill Clinton.

Discusses the roots of war, various alliances and summit meetings meant to forestall conflict, and the background and events connected with numerous specific conflicts in the second half of the twentieth century.

Washed-out pitcher Kenny Powers moves back in with his family and teaches gym while planning a major league comeback.