RALEIGH, NC /UCWE/ - John Vargo’s new novel, Bite the Hand, shows how questioning all that is around us as we grow up – family, education, religion, and the military – is a better way to survive poverty than violence and resentment.

Bite the Hand is the story of Tommy Kovacs, a quiet boy growing up in poverty in the Midwest. At the age of four, Tommy and his four older brothers are taken to jail. Their crime: being evicted. Four years later, they are reunited with their mother and the fatherless family begins a long struggle to survive on welfare. They move constantly, from the city to the north woods and back to the city slums, and each move is worse than the one before. Tommy finally escapes – into the military.

The novel is written in Tommy’s own words. As he grows up, the language becomes more sophisticated, reflecting his expanding knowledge and changing attitudes.

John Vargo wrote Bite the Hand to show that it is not necessary to become violent or uncaring to survive poverty. Tommy’s reaction to his situation is to question everything around him: his family, education, religion, and the military. He is a skeptic. In this way he is able to overcome his environment and maintain his integrity.

“I believe that we should never blindly accept what is given to us but should always question it and make our own personal decisions,” said John Vargo. “Biting the hand.” does not necessarily mean being ungrateful but being skeptical.”

Bite the Hand is published in conjunction with Lulu (www.lulu.com), the world’s fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books and is available for purchase at http://www.lulu.com/jvargo/