Just a Regular Boy
An orphaned boy raised by a survivalist wends his way into the real world in an emotional novel about hope, fears, and found family by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.
Out there is chaos, the collapse of society, and so much to be afraid of. All that matters is freedom.
That's what Remy Blake has been taught by his survivalist father. Raised off the grid in the middle of nowhere, his own survival skills not yet honed, Remy is days shy of his eighth birthday when his father unexpectedly dies. As seasons pass, supplies run out, and fending for himself grows more desperate, Remy sets out on foot, unprepared for the great unknown of civilization.
He is found--near feral, silent, and terrified--in the small rural town of Blaire. To Anne, a nurturing mother of two adopted teenagers who's still dealing with her own childhood rejections, Remy is not a lost cause. Just a challenging one. As Remy cautiously adapts to his new foster home, his family wants nothing more than to reassure him that he can trust the world. But to do so, they must first reexamine how much they trust the world themselves, and how much they should. As Remy's journey into the real world begins, figuring out how to navigate it becomes a path they will have to learn to walk together.
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Catherine Ryan Hyde is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of nearly fifty books and counting. An avid traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer, she shares her astrophotography with readers on her website.
Her novel Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association (ALA) for its Best Books for Young Adults list and translated into more than twenty-three languages for distribution in over thirty countries. Both Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart the World were included on the ALA's Rainbow Book List, and Jumpstart the World was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards. Where We Belong won two Rainbow Awards in 2013, and The Language of Hoofbeats won a Rainbow Award in 2015.
More than fifty of her short stories have been published in the Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, and many other journals; in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California Shorts; and in the bestselling anthology Dog Is My Co-Pilot. Her stories have been honored by the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and the Tobias Wolff Award and have been nominated for The Best American Short Stories, the O. Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Three have been cited in the annual Best American Short Stories anthology.
As a professional public speaker, she has addressed the National Conference on Education, twice spoken at Cornell University, met with AmeriCorps members at the White House, and shared a dais with Bill Clinton.
For more information, please visit the author at www.catherineryanhyde.com.
"Prolific author [Catherine Ryan] Hyde applies her heartwarming style to the dynamic between a foster parent and child, highlighting the power of therapy and the reliability of inner strength." --Booklist
"The story is beautifully conceived and executed and incredibly touching. As with all of Hyde's characters, we really come to empathize with Remy and Anne." --Bookreporter
Previous Praise for Catherine Ryan Hyde
"Fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde will adore her new novel...No one in this story is perfect. But despite our flaws, we are all worthy of love and able to share our love, just as Stewie so beautifully demonstrates." --Bookreporter on Dreaming of Flight
"A heartwarming story spanning decades of shared trials and personal growth." --Booklist on My Name is Anton
"There is a little bit of magic in every [Catherine Ryan Hyde] book...Perceptive, heartfelt, and enlightening." --Novelgossip on Heaven Adjacent
"Fans of Homer H. Hickam Jr.'s Rocket Boys, Andrew J. Graff's Raft of Stars, and Hyde's substantial backlist will savor this heart-opening and meticulously researched coming-of-age tale." --Booklist on Boy Underground
"A story about good people doing their best to survive, combined with a message that will cause readers to close the book feeling a bit more hopeful about humanity." --Kirkus Reviews on Take Me with You
"Multilayered and heartwarming." --Booklist on Seven Perfect Things
"A deftly crafted novel with an underlying message about the power of simple kindness...a thoroughly engaging read from first page to last." --Midwest Book Review on Have You Seen Luis Velez?
"Hyde is a master at mining the emotional depths of her characters and bringing them out the other side." --New York Journal of Books on Just After Midnight
