and "In 1969, I, Tory Bauer, was a high school sophomore. For me, a Life and Death issue involved finding a date for Homecoming. The only thing I had in common with the rest of my generation was the notion that love was all we'd need and an unshakable confidence in our own immortality. and " and "Unfortunately we were wrong on both counts. and " and "It took a couple of decades, a few tragedies and betrayals, and a windy afternoon standing along the bank of the James River looking down at a dead body in the water for me to realize that the past has a long reach. and " and "And that high school lasts forever. and "