Snyder's Letters

About the Book

Sampson Orion Snyder, born of an authoritative father, is a man searching for a fight, especially against anything he perceives as hypocrisy. He takes on racism, organized religion, his superiors, or anything having to do with the establishment. This book is a collection of letters: those he receives and those he initiates. When he receives a letter from a Methodist bishop exhorting him to mend his ways, he replies: "If you must save someone, save a Jew, a Black Panther, a Chinaman. Save yourself. But don't save me. I free you from all responsibility for my soul. I don't trust you with it." And he receives letters. From a racist: "Rather than see my grandchildren educated in a mixed school, I had much rather they were executed by a firing squad". From his grandmother: "I even played around a little when I could--never with a minister even though there were some who wanted me to. You have to know that most of your Grandfather's hardness was in his head." Snyder's Letters is a sad but funny tale about a complex man whose initials portray a life lived in constant turmoil.

About the Author

Sim Wilde has written two books and numerous magazine and newspaper articles. He was born and raised near Asheville, NC, and enjoys amateur acting. He earned a BS from Appalachian State Teachers' College, an ME from Western Carolina Teachers College, and an EdD from UNC-CH.