The Amalgamation Polka by Stephen Wright

The Amalgamation Polka by Stephen Wright

A Civil War novel unlike any other: the story of a young man's journey through a nation blasted apart.

Born in 1844, Liberty Fish is the descendant of both Carolina slaveholders and New York abolitionists. In hopes of reconciling the warring strands of his heritage, he escapes his home in the North -- first into the cauldron of the Civil War, and then into the even more disturbing bedlam that follows.

The Amalgamation Polka showcases not only the brutality of this tragic passage in American history, but also its surprising compassion and hope. In language both true to its time and completely modern, it is revelatory and mesmerizing, a novel that will bring a smile to your own lips as it sets your brain on fire. (Jason McBride, the Village Voice).

Prof. Stephen J Wright is a professorial academic member of staff in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Tampere University, Finland, specialising in Aviation, Aeronautical Engineering and Aircraft Systems. In addition to his university activities, Prof. Wright continues (at the time of writing) to hold the esteemed post of President for the Finnish Society of Aeronautical Engineers, is a past Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, UK, and is a life-long Fellow of the Higher Educational Academy, UK.

He holds a PhD from the University of Leeds, UK, in the fouling and failure of commercial aircraft air conditioning systems. Other academic qualifications include a Post Graduate Certification of teaching and learning in Higher Education, awarded by Kingston University, London. He gained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Sussex, with additional studies at Uppsala Universitiet, Sweden.

Prof. Wright engages formally with numerous elements of the European Commission as a recognised expert in Aviation/ Aeronautical Engineering. He is fully committed to the objectives and aspirations to improve the industry, that will allow for better and more effective air transportation (Flightpath 2050 / Master Plan).

Lastly, Prof. Wright has attended and passed examination for numerous manufacturer 'line and base' maintenance engineering type rating courses (B1.1 discipline) associated with his previous commercial aviation employment, in addition to holding a European Aviation Safety Agency Flight Crew license for single engine piston aircraft.