J.
J. Knights has always found the Pittsburgh area
interesting in its rich history. Knights grew up on the
south shore of Massachusetts—initially in Randolph,
then East Bridgewater. He graduated from East
Bridgewater High School in 1971. After four years in
the U.S. Coast Guard, Knights received his bachelor’s
degree in Soviet and East European Studies from the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his master’s degree in
International Relations from the University of Chicago.
Knights is a retired FBI Special Agent. His assignments
included violent crimes and fugitives, property crimes, civil rights
investigations, and foreign counterintelligence. He was a surveillance
pilot, SWAT sniper, media representative, and worked in the FBI’s
technical investigations program. He worked in Moscow, Cairo and
Iraq. Knights also volunteered as a Civil Air Patrol pilot, squadron
commander and public information officer. He is an emeritus member
of the Imperial Public Relations Committee of Shriners International
and Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Knights and his wife, Dorothy, have lived in Mars since 1991 when
he was transferred from the FBI’s Newark field office to Pittsburgh.
They have three children—Allyson, Patrick and Lauren—and two
grandchildren named Lillian and Christopher. “My favorite thing about
the area was the tranquility,” says Knights. “That’s changed in 26 years
with all the new home construction and business expansion currently
going on. When we moved here, Route 228 had only one traffic light
between Cranberry Township and Route 8, and that was blinking
yellow.”
The author is appreciative of the very historical significance of
the area. “Most people don’t know that Amelia Earhart earned her
instrument flight rating at Butler County Airport (now Pittsburgh-
Butler Regional Airport) where she also had the long range tanks
installed on her Lockheed Vega,” he notes. “The famous Piper Cub was
developed there as the Taylor Cub. Taylor Aircraft was once based at
Butler County Airport. When the airport opened in 1929, it was the
most advanced airport in the world because it had lights.”
Knights’ novels—comprising the “Benjamin’s Field” trilogy—
follow a struggling but proud family as their faith is tested over three
generations, through war, peace, triumph, tragedy, heartbreak and
happiness, as they are forced to confront the truth that those we rely
on to sustain society often fail—with tragic results.
Knights found his inspiration close to home. As a pilot, he once
owned a 1946 Taylorcraft BC12D, among others, that he hangared
at Mars Lakehill Airport. At the time, he was a very active Shriner. “I
had a basic airplane at a basic landing strip reminiscent of WWI, and
I belonged to an organization focused on children with disabilities.
Put them all together, shake (don’t stir), and the result is a premise,
which answers the question, ‘What if?’ All novels must have a premise,
and the premise in “Benjamin’s Field” is, ‘What if a child born with a
physical disability used his love of aviation to persevere and ultimately
save himself from being marginalized by prejudice and intolerance?’
The years following WWI were, after all, the ‘Golden Age of Aviation,’
when so many young people dreamt of becoming aviators. The setting
was perfect,” he says.
“Benjamin’s Field” is a story about overcoming intolerance,
prejudice, preconceived notions and hatred. “This is a recurring theme
in the story—whether it’s about a farmer who misjudges a priest he
doesn’t understand, a priest who condemns a group of men he knows
nothing about, a society that punishes unwed mothers and their
children, a teacher who berates a pupil with a disability, a grandson of
slaves who stands tall despite the odds, a twisted militant racist bent on
destroying all he deems inferior, a child who is punished by society’s
institutions and those he was taught to trust because he was born unlike
those around him,” explains Knights.
“Ultimately,” he adds, “I chose as my champion a bullied child in
danger of being marginalized because he was born different. He, like
many, is victimized by those with small and ignorant minds whose only
reaction when confronting someone unlike themselves is to inflict pain.”
Aviation is prevalent throughout Knights’ novels as a metaphor. In the
beginning a young man flies to meet his destiny while, later, the son he
never knew uses wings to raise himself above those who would hold him
down and tie him to the ground. Finally, as a man, he flies toward his
own destiny, where he achieves his emancipation and no longer needs
airplanes in order to be free.
“While there are other books that speak of overcoming hardship and
prejudice, I’ve seen none that invite the reader to climb into a fabric-
covered airplane and fly into the lives of a family struggling against the
odds to achieve what we all want: respect and acceptance,” says Knights.
He did a great deal of historical research for the story—and it wasn’t
all on the Internet. Since the story is based in Butler County, readers will
learn a great deal about local history. More than one reader has said to
Knights, “I didn’t know that” after reading his work.
“That being said, the story’s real value is its themes,” adds Knights. “A
grieving father is given a second chance at happiness, but almost throws
it away out of pride; a child is victimized by someone he should be able
to trust, but ultimately prevails with the help of friends; a young patriot
is denied his chance to come to th e defense of his country, but finds a
way to sidestep a heartless bureaucracy.”
Knights’ third book of the trilogy was launched in April, 2015. Both
print and ebook editions are available on Amazon.com and other major
book retailers. On September 1, it was announced that “Benjamin’s
Field: Ascent” has placed as a finalist in the Readers’ Favorite
International Book Award Contest.
The author has his sights set on a bright future in writing. “I just
finished the first draft of my fourth historical novel, ‘Soldier Girl Blue,’”
he says. “It’s a fictionalized account of the true story about a young
Canadian woman who disguises herself as man to fight in the American
Civil War. Now that it has gone off to test readers, I’ll take a deep breath
and wait for the appearance of another story that wants to be written.”
For more information, visit jjknights.com, or email jjknights@
jjknights.com. Knights is also available as a speaker. ■
The “Benjamin’s Field” Trilogy
“Rescue“ (Book 1) : Grieving the loss of his son, a reclusive farmer gives refuge
to his illegitimate, disabled grandchild and his gentile mother, and is forced to choose
between indulging his pride and being deserving of their love.
“Ascent“ (Book 2) : A deformed teenager, victimized by his hateful teacher, is
aided by an unlikely and volatile band of friends to foil her scheme to institutionalize
him, forcing her to reveal her own dark secret.
“Emancipation“ (Book 3) : Barred from serving during WWII, a pilot joins a
group of volunteers as they confront a vicious enemy from an unexpected quarter,
forcing him into a deadly fight for his country’s deliverance, and his own.
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