Longtime Riverview resident Bob Kalle’s new book, Deathworld, unveils an exciting dystopian era where life and death is a challenge. This fascinating novel sets scene in a theme park that is built to test humanity. The main character, Jesse, a young man with attention deficit disorder, discovers that there is more to the park than what they are told. Not only is his life in danger, but the lives of his twin sister and two other students from his school are at risk as well. Kalle drew from many of his lifetime experiences to bring this thrilling story to life.
Kalle is a psychologist turned author who has spent most of his life working with youth and is a former high school teacher from Bloomingdale and Newsome High Schools. He and his wife are members of St. Stephen Catholic Church, and Kalle has been working with children since 1977, including children in group homes, residential treatment, therapeutic foster care, psychiatric hospitals and school programs. His passion is youth, and that led to his book about teens fighting the system.
“I was a high school teacher working with students with issues, behavior and learning,” said Kalle. “I was taking a course on writing a book for children, so I developed the idea (for the book) from there. I also had worked with children in all sorts of programs as a psychologist, so my heart is with youth that have challenges in their life.”
Working with children with special needs ultimately is what inspired Kalle to write Deathworld. With the main character being 18, the book is appealing for young adults but has appeal to readers of ages, as well as an uplifting ending.
“The main character has ADD, and that leads him into problems but also leads him to solve the problem of the park,” said Kalle. “My hero in the book is similar to many of the children I have worked with … overcoming everything to save the day.”
Kalle is also working on another book centered around autism. This book will consist of letters from parents about their experiences with autistic children.
“I plan to publish the letters as a volume for others to read to learn about the challenges and joys that a parent feels,” said Kalle. “It is also a way for parents to realize that they are not alone. I would get sponsors to cover the cost of the book and then all sales proceeds would go to charity.”
Deathworld can be purchased at local bookstores or online at the iBooks Store, Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Purchases and other information, including Kalle’s uplifting blogs, can be found on his website, https://bobkalle.com.
