Steeped in imagery and threaded with lyricism, Eddie’s Bastard is William Kowalski’s debut novel and recipient of the Ama-Boeke Award. It is a novel of discovery, of a young man’s emergence into the world, and the endless possibilities it offers. Through the tales of his ancestors, his own experiences, and the unforgettable characters who enhance and enliven his adolescence, Billy learns of bravery and cowardice, of life and death, of the heart’s capacity for love and for unremitting hatred, eventually grasping the meaning of family and history and their power to shape destiny.