Twisted Ivy

By Craig Etchison

Politics. Egocentrics. Power plays. Sexual harassment. Indifference. Pay for play. Intrigue. Jealousy. Gross negligence. Sex. Washington, DC? No--a small college where many (though not all) administrators and professors engage in Byzantine machinations to the detriment of education. Forty-year-old Max Clark, associate professor of English, is a dedicated teacher at Westview State College, a fictional school located in rural West Virginia. He loves teaching and working with students, but the politics of the school--especially administrative incompetence and inertia--have raised questions about remaining in teaching. Max watches the school president destroy faculty morale and drive off effective teachers. One of his best friends is fired based on a false accusation of sexual harassment as the president tries to short-circuit formation of a faculty senate. At the same time, a senior member of the administration involved in sexual harassment is permitted to continue in his job. Max's promotion to full professor is also held hostage by a spiteful member of his own department, though his teaching record is stellar. Max also becomes involved in efforts to find out how Westview has been able to field a national championship football team at the D-III level. At the same time, he is bedeviled by the need to decide whether to pass the school's star basketball player when the young man is virtually illiterate.As Max deals with major professional obstacles, he is looking for stability in his personal life. He has been involved with a former student, but the relationship has turned sour, resulting in a breakup. At the end of the novel, Max has met an older, nontraditional student, and love has blossomed at the same time he has received unexpected validations of his teaching effectiveness.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1520427018
• ISBN13: 9781520427010
• Release Date: March 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"