Book excerpt: About the Book Near On is about the duality of all people. We're all good and bad- even the best of us. Interwoven in the book are three main elements: 1) Loss - The author’s best friend lost his daughter at a very young age to brain cancer and he explores how we all experience grief differently throughout different points in our life. 2) Racism - As an African American man, the author wanted to look at the subtleties of racism he has experienced and give a different point of view of how we ALL wrong each other in small - not "in your face"- ways. 3) The Multiverse - He explores a fascinating topic that we know little to nothing about. There are many times in the story where there aren't clear cut answers - much like the reality of things. This is the first of three books the author has planned in this realm. The story is unique and compelling because the characters are relatable. The writing is designed to be grounded. The dialog is in a fashion where people talk to each other in the real world and people behave in a "normal" way. About the Author Ocean Strata grew up in Santa Monica, California, in a not-so-great neighborhood where he was raised by a single mom. Most kids left to their own devices may have gotten into trouble, but Strata chose to go to the library and read most days. He went to USC on an academic scholarship and graduated from Marshall School of Business. Strata found joy and peace in writing and in the technology industry. As a black man in sales and corporate America, he has experienced both beautiful behavior and sub-par behavior. He feels that all of his experiences drove his passion to tell a story about the middle ground - about the grey. He met his wife in banking, and they now have twin toddlers - a boy and a girl - his hardest job to date.