Leaving Home is the compelling story of an island boy's coming of age in the 1950's. Loosely based on the author's own Maine island upbringing, our tale begins with a charming view of Maine family life. Young James follows in his father's footsteps to become a skilled fisherman while preparing, as is customary on the islands, to leave home and complete his education on the mainland. He wrestles with the growing realization that he may be forced away forever from the fishing life and island that he loves. A descendant of Maine's earliest colonial settlers, author Steve Murray knows first-hand the rigors and joys of island life and the toughness and knowledge necessary to wrest a livelihood from the ever-changing and unforgiving North Atlantic.