The World of Illusion

About the Book

Welcome to The World of Illusion-This is the world that many people, including the characters in this collection of short stories, think is real, when it is actually a world they create themselves.

In "Summer Jobs, The Agony and the Ecstasy," a boy who believes the summer is traditionally for fun realizes the hard way that sometimes this assumption is not necessarily true.

Steve believes the world-the restricting world he has created for himself-will come to an end after he delivers a mediocre oral report in "Freedom."

Sammy is a 9-year old boy in "Cotton Candy Circus" who is just beginning to learn an illusion he will later create for himself when he is older.

Sammy, now a high school student, in "The Bet $$$$," lives in a world where he is popular when in reality, he is actually offensive.

In "Shake-Speared," Freddie the football player thinks he will lose his reputation and whatever chance he has of gaining friends if he is cast in a Shakespearian play. Freddie again faces the thought of losing everything in "The Mistake" when he fumbles the ball in a football game.

Throughout The World of Illusion, author J. F. Mattaino explores the consequences of the shortsightedness and shortcomings of these very ordinary characters.

About the Author

J. F. Mattaino graduated with a BA in history from George Mason University in 1983. An editorial assistant at the National Technical Information Service, he presently lives in Virginia.