Books with author Peter Woodthorpe

Glimpse a life filled with contradictions, discoveries, and passion in Peter Wood's fascinating new memoir, Mud Between Your Toes: A Rhodesian Farm.This is a powerful story about a teenage boy growing up during the Rhodesian Bush War. Peter Wood is an African. He is white, but he also holds a Chinese passport. And he is also gay.Growing up during the 1970s on his family's farm in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Peter was swiftly introduced to a harsh world in which friends and relatives were murdered in ambushes—and the line between blacks and whites was drawn in blood.As travel bans and UN sanctions caused a deepening chasm between his country and the rest of the world, Peter struggled with his identity as a white Rhodesian and later in life, when living in London, he nurtured his skills as a photographer—and finally found the courage to come out as gay.Now a twenty-year resident of Hong Kong and an official Chinese national, Peter is arguably the only white, gay, African man in China. But his wildly entertaining anecdotes delve much deeper than that superficial—yet admittedly fascinating—label. These stories, based largely on Peter's childhood diary entries, offer insight into the universal human experience: from tragedies and triumphs to catastrophes and, perhaps most importantly, joy.

Matthew Wasn’t Always a Problem Child, But Now He’s Screwing Up… Big TimeAfter Matthew's parents’ marriage collapsed and his brother and father both disappeared, this once-popular high school kid learned how to act out: fighting, stealing, skipping school, and generally tearing his world to pieces. But when Matthew runs away to the seductive streets of Greenwich Village, he becomes fascinated with a mysterious panhandler called Sailor Barlow. Barlow offers him a life of freedom and release he never imagined, and when Matthew discovers a dark secret about Barlow, the youth convinces himself that he’s the only one who can save his new friend—even if he has to risk everything to do it. As Matthew descends ever-deeper into New York City’s terrifying underworld—a hellhole full of liars, cheats, thugs, and murderers—he must use his newfound fierce cunning to his advantage if he wants to survive. Can Matthew claw his way back from the brink of destruction? Or will Sailor Barlow draw him so deep into his own dark world that he drowns? Fans of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen are sure to love this inspiring coming-of-age novel.

Glimpse a life filled with contradictions, discoveries, and passion in Peter Wood's fascinating new memoir, Mud Between Your Toes: A Rhodesian Farm.This is a powerful story about a teenage boy growing up during the Rhodesian Bush War. Peter Wood is an African. He is white, but he also holds a Chinese passport. And he is also gay.Growing up during the 1970s on his family's farm in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Peter was swiftly introduced to a harsh world in which friends and relatives were murdered in ambushes—and the line between blacks and whites was drawn in blood.As travel bans and UN sanctions caused a deepening chasm between his country and the rest of the world, Peter struggled with his identity as a white Rhodesian and later in life, when living in London, he nurtured his skills as a photographer—and finally found the courage to come out as gay.Now a twenty-year resident of Hong Kong and an official Chinese national, Peter is arguably the only white, gay, African man in China. But his wildly entertaining anecdotes delve much deeper than that superficial—yet admittedly fascinating—label. These stories, based largely on Peter's childhood diary entries, offer insight into the universal human experience: from tragedies and triumphs to catastrophes and, perhaps most importantly, joy.

Matthew Wasn’t Always a Problem Child, But Now He’s Screwing Up… Big TimeAfter Matthew's parents’ marriage collapsed and his brother and father both disappeared, this once-popular high school kid learned how to act out: fighting, stealing, skipping school, and generally tearing his world to pieces. But when Matthew runs away to the seductive streets of Greenwich Village, he becomes fascinated with a mysterious panhandler called Sailor Barlow. Barlow offers him a life of freedom and release he never imagined, and when Matthew discovers a dark secret about Barlow, the youth convinces himself that he’s the only one who can save his new friend—even if he has to risk everything to do it. As Matthew descends ever-deeper into New York City’s terrifying underworld—a hellhole full of liars, cheats, thugs, and murderers—he must use his newfound fierce cunning to his advantage if he wants to survive. Can Matthew claw his way back from the brink of destruction? Or will Sailor Barlow draw him so deep into his own dark world that he drowns? Fans of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen are sure to love this inspiring coming-of-age novel.

Mparntwe describes how two young friends change the world for the better with their involvement in the development of the first benevolent Artificial Intelligence. There is a gentle treatment of disability involving both the characters, Jarra and Mirrigan, who have adventures in a number of distinctly Australian settings – the outback near Alice Springs, and the Grampians Range in Western Victoria.Mparntwe is traditional science fiction.