Book Details
"This is a revolution! This school is being taken hostage! . . . Don't push any alarms, answer any phones, or call for help. I have guns and this is a bomb. . . . You and I are only one-half inch from death."This is the true story of a traumatic hostage takeover that threatened the lives of over 150 students and teachers from Cokeville, Wyoming. As parents of one of the student hostages, Hartt and Judene Wixom recapture the terror and confusion that struck this small, tight-knit community on May 16, 1986. The Wixoms describe in detail the chain of events that led up to David Young's invasion, balancing the horrific scenes of terror with stories of courage and faith.If you loved the movie in theaters, you won't want to miss this incredible true account of the miracles in Cokeville. Inspiring and informative, this book will bring you hope of help from above.
Author Description
Hartt and Judene Wixom were engaged 58 years ago while working on their college newspaper together. They have since written many books and articles in their lifetimes, but nothing could equal their experience in 1986 when a mentally ill man and his wife with a bomb and guns invaded their son's school in Cokeville, Wyoming. It was natural that they should sit down and write about the "miracle" that would take place when their son and some 135 other children, along with several friends in the faculty, survived the ordeal while only the perpetrators died.
Hartt taught communications (journalism) at Brigham Young University for 14 years. During that time, Judene was office manager for elected student leaders. Hartt has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English and History. In addition to his more than half a century of writing for newspapers, he has had 19 books published on both the outdoors and history. He has received several awards for "accurate and courageous writing." Peers say he has a reputation for "telling it like it is."
Judene's focus has turned to family history, research, and writing life stories of ancestors to enrich the lives of their posterity. In writing the Cokeville book, she did many of the sensitive interviews regarding the children's traumatic experiences, as well as Doris's daughter who still lived in the area.
The parents of seven children and one foster child, they now have 29 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren, and they both continue writing. Since retiring, they have divided their time between Cokeville, Wyoming and Ivins, Utah.
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