WHERE IS THE GOLD?

Book excerpt: In the final volume of AMERICAN ECSTASY, written by Raguan Z. Faust (aka August Franza), Luke Hall, the man/eagle, baptizes himself for new and possibly more hopeful roles. He conjures Rachel Landauer, an old girlfriend, and flies west with her to experience a series of encounters with America, past and present. These include chemical and environmental pollution, industrial strikes, transcontinental railroad building and many scenes of mental derangement. He also meets Col. George A. Custer, P.T. Barnum, Leon Trotsky, Whittaker Chambers and Alger Hiss in the strangest of circumstances. After many bizarre adventures, Luke ends up teaching at a suspect College of the 21st Century. Around and around he goes in conflict with all manner of men and women, until he meets Zamattia Ueberruaga, a Basque-American woman of many delights. Luke is finally grounded. He gives up his eagle life and all of its derangements to settle down with a woman he loves and who loves him.