As Time Goes By by W. Royce Adams

Old, in his late eighties and failing, asks himself, “Besides just another relic of time, who am I– really?” Concerned with what life has given him and what he has given it, Old begins writing his memoir using what he calls “windows into his life.” Each segment recounts a particular time in his life when he received an epiphany: the aftermath of a lynching as a young child; struggling with family loyalties; his introduction to homosexuality; his first crush; meeting an ostracized teenager who becomes his life-long friend; how his college educational experience changed his life; his enlistment and experiences in the navy during the Korean War; his experience of marrying too young; his career as a freelance writer; travel experiences and their effects on his life; finding lasting love; his painful experiences struggling with cancers and the effects of medication;; and his ultimate understanding and acceptance of his life as he nears the end.