UNBORN AGAIN by Paul J. Suchecki
"A well-crafted story, intense and relevant."
UNBORN AGAIN, a novel by Paul M.J. Suchecki, is a gritty examination of events leading up to veteran Dewey Long’s decision to murder a doctor, and his brother’s reluctant pursuit of Dewey into the wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains. The story includes an unflinching look into the arguments and disagreements over women’s reproductive rights. The book is constructed so that the narrative is advanced through the viewpoint of various characters in the town of Asheville, NC, as they come into contact with and relate to Dewey Long until the point of the murder. The story then shifts to the Great Smoky Mountains and the pursuit of Dewey by his brother and other law enforcement personnel.
The Story: Dewey Long and his brother Andy grew up in Asheville until Dewey was drafted and fought in Viet Nam in the 1960s. When he returned home from war, Andy sadly realized Dewey was a different person. Dewey seemed to have no purpose in life until an encounter with Brother Nathaniel at the Living Word Pentecostal Chapel, after which, his new life was guided by Brother Nathaniel’s encouragement and interpretations of the teachings of the Bible.
As the story progresses, Dewey aligns with pro-life protesters that picket the office of a prominent gynecologist who provides occasional abortions for patients who request them. He plots a strategy to kill the gynecologist and justifies his violent actions with his own skewed interpretations of Bible verses. As an Asheville police officer, Andy has sworn to uphold the law “without favor or affection to the best of my power,” and finds himself responsible for tracking his brother’s movements when he escapes to the Great Smoky Mountains to avoid prosecution.
Gary Washington, a Tennessee criminal attorney who unwinds with his iTunes shuffle on his car radio, and Chantal Benoit, a high school biology teacher (“Teaching is the ultimate form of communication”), marry each other in a lovely ceremony in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They set off for their honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains, hiking, camping, and enjoying each other and their time away from distractions. Their peaceful excursion through remote mountain trails leads them to a violent encounter with Dewey.
Unborn Again frames the point that the choices each woman faces regarding her reproductive health are created by whatever circumstances led to her moment of decision, a theme deftly carried out by the author throughout the book.
Unborn Again is well-crafted and the story moves rapidly. There are colorful scenes of regional dialogue between and among residents of Asheville, as well as beautifully descriptive passages depicting magical dense forests, endless wonderland caves, and treacherous mountain trails. [Contains sex, violence] … Pam Wilder …
3 AMERICAN CRANKS: A SATIRE IN THREE VOICES by R.L. Felicello
"Brilliantly Crafted Humorous Satire about Contemporary America"
R.L. Felicello’s 3 AMERICAN CRANKS is a cleverly crafted articulation of the state of contemporary America as viewed by three outspoken American eccentrics. With daring yet gentle comedy and astonishing, rapid-fire comic timing, the author defines the current American predicament through the eyes of a trio of characters, allowing us to see their innermost thoughts, dreams, plans, and sufferings.
Street preacher and lead eccentric, D.C. Washington, offers the perspective of a spirited American black man living at the bottom of the economic pyramid. During his daily “services” – delivered from his soapbox “pulpit” on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial in our nation’s capital -- locals and tourists gather to hear him toss out such jewels as, “Filling our pockets is our national pastime, isn’t it?” “Love may die, but the mortgage lives on and on;” and “They will send you to a university, where people go to stop having ideas.” As D.C. Washington lambastes political parties, politicians and corporations, he laments the changes average Americans have endured of late and are still enduring.
The second member of the eccentric trio, a bashful young man who is a college freshman, and the third, a bright but troubled young woman, attend the lunchtime spectacles and seem to be mutually attracted but never manage to speak to one another. There is within the comedic lives of these three eccentrics an aura of profound sadness, as they cope with the demise of the America they used to know. Happily for the reader, the buoyant comedy of this bold, intelligent satire eases the jarring impact of its sometimes distressing truth. … Pam Wilder …
Pam Wilder, Author of DESERT HEAT: Therapy and Sugar Creek