Ante Eklof’s new Historical Fiction Explores ‘60s American Racism
NORRTALJE, Sweden (PRWEB) October 01, 2014 -- Leif Karlsson, a young engineer from Sweden, is sent by the Swedish government to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama to learn to operate and maintain an anti-aircraft system recently purchased by the Swedish armed forces. When he arrives in the states, he is unprepared for the realities of the racially polarized and emotionally charged American South, where religious beliefs, moral values, prejudice and history create a dangerous place to live for anyone who refuses to conform to local customs.
Leif is brought face-to-face with discrimination when he witnesses a white man bullying a beautiful, young black woman named Hailee who works in a cafeteria on the armed forces base he visits.
Set against the tumultuous and racially fearful backdrop of the 1960s American South, “Ikon” (published by Abbott Press) by author Ante Eklof tells the story of Leif and Hailee as they risk everything to break the taboo of interracial romance.
Eklof says “Ikon” is a classic story of forbidden and frustrated love, ending in a surprising and emotionally double-sided way, to encourage dialogue and reflection in its readers.
“It contains moments of mortal danger, murderous hatred, heart-wrenching love and desperate desire,” Eklof says of his book. “It is far more intense than, for example, the movie ‘Jungle Fever’ and offers much deeper insight into the fundamental instinctive, psychological and religious aspects of American racial prejudice, fears and hatred.”
“Ikon”
By Ante Eklof
Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 234 pages | ISBN 9781458216335
Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 234 pages | ISBN 9781458216311
E-Book | 234 pages | ISBN 9781458216328
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
The experience of living in the American South in the 1960s was revelatory for Ante Eklof, an idealistic young Swede with no previous exposure to the complex issues of racial diversity, prejudice, religious fanaticism or sexual obsessions. Inspired by these experiences, Eklof wrote “Ikon”, his debut novel. He now lives and writes in Sweden.
Abbott Press, a division of Writer’s Digest – the oldest and most respected publisher devoted to the education and advancement of writers – is an indie-publishing imprint dedicated to helping writers bring their literary vision to print. Author Solutions, LLC, a leader in indie book publishing, will fulfill publishing, sales, and marketing services for Abbott Press. For more information, or to begin publishing a book today, log on to abbottpress.com or call 866-697-5310.
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