Arthur (Stoffel)

Arthur Berndt is fighting to survive his childhood but the odds are stacked against him. He lives in two worlds-the violent one he shares with his father at home and the confused one outside his house, where he continually gets into trouble in a futile attempt to gain acceptance at any cost. Every day of his life Arthur finds himself trapped under the same roof with a mortal enemy-August Berndt. Though terrified of his abusive father, Arthur dares not share his fears with anyone. Instead, on the street, he becomes a follower in his desperate effort to be accepted. His need to please would-be friends compels Arthur to commit antisocial acts that suck the young boy into the legal system, make him an alien in his own neighborhood, and only heighten the tension and violence he endures at home. Despite further complicating his life with his own self-defeating actions, subconsciously( and on the very rare occasion consciously), Arthur rationalizes his criminal behavior-if no one cares about what happens to me, why should I care about what I do to anyone else? Is Arthur doomed to meet the dark fate he seems headed for or will he live to see his life get better? You'll be captivated by Arthur-the embodiment of the human struggle to survive.

Arthur Berndt is an eleven-year-old boy growing up on 1950s Long Island. His life revolves around one, overriding task: surviving under the same roof with his abusive father August. In response to the world he is trapped in at home, outside his house he lives a life that consists of equal parts delinquency and isolation. Only in school has Arthur found a measure of normalcy. There, he is succeeding academically and has found a measure of predictability and stability that exists nowhere else for the youngster. Over the years of his short life, Arthur has gradually gained a sense that he isn't growing up like other children. This awareness has only increased his self-consciousness-and anger. The self-consciousness has led to keeping secrets, both about himself and his family. Arthur is driven to hide who he is and where he is from. He spends much of his time in the nearby woods, finding there a measure of safety and anonymity that he desperately craves. As for his anger, he acts out on the streets, fearing the rest of the world less than he does his father. Arthur has been headed down the wrong road since he could walk. It remains to be seen if someone will come to Arthur's rescue and point him in the right direction.

Defying the odds, Arthur Berndt has lived to see his 11th birthday. Miraculous considering the turbulent world he struggles to survive in. In this riveting sequel to Arthur: The Beginning, Arthur continues to live in fear of his irrational and violent father August. Though Arthur suffers the most under his father's tyrannical rule, his mother Marguerite and sisters Liz and Ruth are also prisoners inside a house dripping with fear, coldness and criticism. Apart from his chaotic life at home, Arthur has cobbled together a twisted existence: committing criminal acts, isolating in the nearby woods and passing for near-normal in school. Due to his lengthy history of antisocial behavior starting at five years of age, Arthur has become a precocious persona non grata with neighbors, storeowners and law enforcement. Despite feeling scorned by adults and rejected by children his age, Arthur continues to stubbornly and resentfully commit antisocial acts that only solidify his sketchy reputation, deepen his sense of isolation and further enrage his father. When not committing these self-defeating deeds of delinquency, he spends much of his free time in the nearby woods alone or with his beloved dog Rex, the one living creature he has bonded with. Only in school-where his reputation doesn't precede him-does he find a measure of structure and predictability missing in the rest of his world. That won't last forever. Terrified that his father might administer the "final" punishment at any moment, every day Arthur survives feels like a stay of execution. Survival leaves the door open for recovery. Read Arthur: The Struggle Continues and you'll find yourself rooting for Arthur to never give up-and you'll forget you're reading fiction!

Arthur Berndt has just become a teenager. No small accomplishment considering he's been at war with his father, society, and himself since he began to walk. Abused by August, his father, Arthur is still afraid to openly confront his tormentor. Instead, out of resentment, he continues to commit antisocial acts that only serve to make him a pariah in the community and a black sheep in his family's eyes. The other members of his family-Marguerite, his mother, and Ruth and Liz, his sisters-cope with the oppressive atmosphere at home in their own way by popping antacid pills, overachieving, and drinking, respectively.School is the only place where Arthur has ever experienced some sense of fitting in. That flirtation with normalcy will now put to the test as being a teenager only heightens Arthur's longstanding feeling that there is something wrong with him.Enduring sexual assault at the hands of his employer, committing arson as payback against a hostile neighbor, and stumbling upon a dead mobster: these are all a part of Arthur's experience in his first full year as a teenager. He also inadvertently walks in on his sister's suicide attempt. Throughout all this chaos, Arthur finds time to court a fellow outsider-a Native American girl. Read Arthur: A Year in his Life. You'll be shocked and entertained by this kid's edgy lifestyle.