best-selling author of Help for the Haunted and Strange but True - John Searles
"Intriguing, heartfelt and insightful, Lighting the World is a rich and complex novel filled with fascinating characters and genuine moments of surprise."
author of Living with Jackie Chan - Jo Knowles
"This raw, gritty portrayal of a boy desperate for love and belonging provides a window into a reality we so often want to draw the curtain on and hide from view. Here, Drown explores the brutal consequences of doing just that-with wit, wisdom and above all, heart."
author of The Waking Dark and The Book of Blood and Shadow - Robin Wasserman
"A searing and sympathetic portrait of a troubled teen searching for hope in a seemingly hopeless life, Merle Drown takes us inside the mind of an angry young man, showing just how easily desperation and despair can curdle into tragedy. "
New York Times best-selling author - Wiley Cash
"Grounded in the cold, hard realism of tragedy, the writing is as beautiful and whimsical as the fantasies that compel young Wade Rule to pick up his shotgun and head to his high school... Merle Drown is a writer of incredible compassion, and Lighting the World... reflects how little we understand about the troubled and tortured souls who live among us."
