Rod Raglin's Blog, page 15

Terrain – a thriller that transcends genre

Deep in the jungle of Sierra Leone, a group of professional soldiers bolstered by some local regulars are quietly and efficiently facilitating a change of government at the request of their employers. Marek Hussar is ambivalent about the task at hand–not a good predisposition for someone who is hired to kill

Somewhat later, in the upper echelons of international finance shady foreign debt manipulations are coming unraveled. Freddie Oslo is in the middle of it and his boss thinks it might be a good time for him to take an unannounced holiday to an undisclosed destination rather than be deposed under oath in court.

 As considerations regarding Freddie’s culpability are being considered, a young actor has been hired and is being trained for a part in a mysterious reality production he’s not apprised of.

Freddie’s tour guide turns out to be the enigmatic Mr. Lanze, a.k.a. Marek Hussar, the somewhat rehabilitated Cambridge-educated mercenary who previously served the interests of similar corporate masters by perpetuating ongoing conflicts on the continent of Africa.

Freddie’s holiday involves a number of complicated and unexplained machinations including clandestine travel arrangements throughout Europe all the while being held incommunicado. Initially, the subterfuge is tolerated but Freddie’s unease builds as his questions go unanswered and his requests are ignored.

During an unguarded moment, he manages to slip away from his minder and in desperation contacts his wife and arranges a rendezvous. Her arrival accompanied by their young son infuriates Lanze, apparently complicating whatever agenda he has for his client and leaving the reader to wonder if Freddie’s disappearance is to be temporary or permanent–and what part will the actor play?

 Terrain is a good example of an international thriller in all aspects except the way it’s written. Instead of a plot-driven story with a focus on action, author Hesse Caplinger has chosen to present it in a literary style with plot permutations, complex characterizations and lavish descriptions. Motives are hinted at but not declared, dialogue is oblique rather than straightforward and much is left to the reader’s imagination.

 While the writing is crisp and evocative the style at times supersedes the narrative which may have some fans of this genre preferring a more blunt and uncomplicated telling. However, for the reader who wants a story that transcends the genre, Terrain is a good choice. Credit must also be given to Caplinger for taking the risk when he could have easily written to formula.

A compelling story about the resilience of the human spirit

If you want to know what contributes to a person becoming a violent criminal, Real Prison Real Freedom the story of Rickie Smith, by Rosser McDonald is a good place to start.

Born in 1954, Rickie was adopted as an infant by Selestia and Red Smith. As parents, his father was physically and emotionally abusive, while his mother was overindulgent and enabling. The one thing both parents had in common was that all disputes were resolved by violence, most often fueled by alcohol. In addition to a dysfunctional family, Rickie was dyslexic and stopped going to school in grade eight, though he likely didn’t achieve even that level of education.

His life of crime began with burglaries but soon escalated to drug trafficking. His relationships were short and misogynistic. The only trait resembling self-esteem was Rickie’s so-called personal code of honor, “These people are, for sure, gonna respect me.” These people referred to everyone, beginning with his criminal associates, fellow inmates, and particularly the guards and prison administration. Understandably, Rickie equated fear with respect.

By 1990, Rickie was serving three ninety-nine year sentences and fighting a war on three fronts, including one with the Aryan Brotherhood against competing gangs, especially the Mandingo Warriors, the dominant Black inmate gang. Another he was engaged in was within the Aryan Brotherhood over leadership and personal conflicts. The third was against the guards and the system. He had rightly earned the title of the most dangerous man in the Texas Department of Corrections.

Miserable, filled with hatred and anger, and without hope, he picked up a discarded Bible and read “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Rest was what Rickie longed for and so he asked Jesus for it, and it was granted. From that day forward, Rickie Smith became a Christian, living and preaching the gospel.

Included in this compelling story about the resilience of the human spirit is a detailed account of the changes the Texas Department of Corrections underwent during this period. Whether you attribute the transformation of Rickie Smith to accepting Jesus or realizing his life was unbearable and had to change is a matter of personal choice, but there is no denying the gospel was the roadmap to finding his way back to humanity. His implementation of Christian principles has affected a seismic shift in his life and, in doing so, influenced the faith of many others.

99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK The TRIUMVIRATE – Love for Power, Lo...

99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

The TRIUMVIRATE – Love for Power, Love of Power, the Power of Love.

 

A story about love and loyalty, politics and power, sacrifice and survival

taken from tomorrow’s headlines.

 

Till Oct. 6 at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

When terrorists kill Shyloh’s mother, he dedicates his life to making a better world. He recruits his childhood friends Aiya and Judith. With their intimate bond, exceptional talents and singular determination they become a formidable team.

  

He chose them, nurtured them, advised them, and, in no small way, is responsible for who and what they’ve become.

 

Judith, the warrior and pragmatist who believes in law and order, is the commander of the new country’s military.

 

Aiya, the theologian and advocate for justice and morality, is leader of the Cascadia’s largest faith-based organization.

 

In the past, when dissension, disagreement, and at times hostility threatened to destroy their triumvirate, Shyloh, the idealist and politician, was able to harness the heat and energy generated from this polarity and craft a consensus, identify a goal, and create a process to get there. Together they’ve been responsible for Cascadia’s survival amid the chaos and carnage that accompanied the collapse of civilization.

 

But now, negotiating this dichotomy of will and passion is like being between two powerful magnets, crushed when as opposite poles they collide, and at risk of disintegrating when as similar ones they repulse each other.

 

The unraveling of civilization caused by climate change has brought unique challenges. For  each of them the goal has begun to take on different meaning. In the end, there can only be one better world, but whose will be best?

 

 

 

    …a GREAT choice for a bookclub to read and discuss.

“This book traces Shyloh’s efforts to make a better world of our present social, economic, and environmental crisis through creating a team of three unbiased leaders (The Triumvirate). The problems they address are real and will be known to the reader. They are today’s headlines and, being unbiased, these three are revolutionaries in their own time. It is fast paced, a good story, and an easy read.
    – Clark Wilkins, Author of A Compelling Unknown Force

 

If you enjoy fiction/sci-fi, climate change and politics this could be a book for you.

I enjoyed the futuristic portrayals of Canada because of the connection with the many pressing social issues in our country’s politics.

Touches on many divisive social issues of today (immigration, virus, climatechange, federal/provincial strain) and provides a unique perspective. The take on the Canadian confederation was particularly interesting to me because of the current issues in Alberta.

– Tom Urac, Author of Spartan Revolt

 

    “…unflinchingly stares down some of today’s most contentious issues, whether they are of a socioeconomic, environmental, racial, or political nature.

“…sure to spark discussion amongst intellectuals and casual readers alike, … highly recommend it as a selection for a reading group.
— Jonathan Walter, Contributing author to THE DEVIL’S DOORBELL, GHOSTLIGHT, and DARK DOSSIER anthologies; and columnist for UXmatters Web magazine

 

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99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK. Abandoned Dreams

99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

ABANDONED DREAMS

‘til Sept. 21st at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

Have you ever wondered what dreams you might have fulfilled

if life hadn’t got in the way?

What if you had an opportunity to try again?

 

 

At twenty-seven years-old, George Fairweather is “the voice of his generation”, a poet whose talent has garnered him accolades from the literary establishment and homage from the disenfranchised “hippie” youth of the late 1960’s.

George is the embodiment of the times with his long hair, rebellious attitude and regular use of mind-expanding psychedelic drugs.

Then the sudden and tragic death of Fallon, his friend, his muse and his lover shatters his world, his sanity and nearly ends his life.

Katherine is the one person who stands between George and destruction. A hanger-on, a groupie, a go-for, she’s a woman George never considered – for anything. Katherine idolizes George and makes it her personal mission to keep him alive, doing whatever it takes, twenty-four seven.

Because of Katherine’s sacrifice and devotion George slowly begins to mend his soul and rebuild a life. But guilt and gratitude make it a much different life then he’d previously led.

Thirty-seven years later, George Fairweather is a husband, father and grandfather and a successful copywriter at an advertising agency. Another death, his wife Katherine’s, is about to change his life again.

Can dreams be resurrected? Can a live abandoned be taken up again?

Will they let him?

Is it worth it?

 

 

 

“Literary and artistic matters including the drive for fame and creativity, as well as cutting citicism, are refreshingly realistic and provide illuminating insights into the minds of writers and artists.”

Judge Number 54, The 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards 

 

★★★★★ “A well told, fascinating and powerful story. Highly recommended.”

 

★★★★★  Lovely premise, well-delivered
 “…offers an unflinching look at how circumstance, both disastrous and mundane, can shove youthful ambitions aside…excellently insidious character development, where every individual springs from the page.”

– Mary Keefer, Amazon Verified Purchase

 

 

The Seeker of Abandoned Dreams

 

He is not now, nor has he ever been

the person you think you know.

 

What you see is a complex compromise

of demons, dreams, desires,

the blunted spear of passion,

the dull edge of intellect,

an over-talked argument, the last guest

at a weary gathering.

 

Extraneous stuff slips away,

the affairs of friends hold little interest

and the lack of things in common

make conversation the killer

to his preferred silence.

 

The focus has narrowed, the journey closes,

the lack of purpose becomes

defined.

 

He’s going out there now

to slough off conventions,

become what wind, sun and rain would have him be

beyond different.

 

He’s taking with him

something vague and inarticulate,

less than a memory, tinged with warning.

 

He’ll travel with no expectations

only to be

uncomplicated, uncompromised,

unknown.

 

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The Message? – Well researched, structured, realistically portrayed, and entertaining.

Review:

 

Leah Warner has been in a serious car accident and is in a coma on life-support. Her multiple injuries include broken bones, brain trauma and face lacerations. When the cardiac arrest alarm sounds in the critical care unit two nurses rush to Leah’s room expecting the worst. Instead, they find her sitting on the side of the bed, “illuminated by the harsh shaft of light”. She is conscious, coherent and not experiencing any pain. It appears the patient has had a spontaneous recovery of all her injuries including the deep cuts on her face, but for Leah, a thirty-eight-year-old widow with two young sons what is even more amazing is “Of all the people in the world, God chose me to be a messenger”.

 

Leah declares she has been with God and the message he wants her to convey to mankind is “… a message of love. God loves us and wants us to love each other in the same way. God wants us to embrace humility and selflessness instead of acquisition and achievement.”

 

Subsequent medical examinations confirm Leah’s miraculous recovery and though Leah doesn’t believe she has been instilled with any kind of holiness or divinity she is committed to spreading God’s message.

 

Very quickly sides are drawn up between those who accept and embrace Leah’s message from God as new hope and direction for a troubled world and those who reject her and the message concerned it will spawn religious bigotry and undermine the status quo.

 

These opposing positions are represented by two powerful and competing organizations. Americans for Social Progress want “an end to discrimination of all kinds; economic parity; religious freedom; cultural freedom; and the protection of personal privacy.” Their concerned Leah’s message “…will be politicized. It will be abused by those who wish to make God, or their perception of God, the supreme leader of the land.” They’ll pay big bucks for her to muzzle God’s message.

 

Then there are Americans for the Advancement of Faith, an organization devoted to the promotion of faith who “…only wish to promote a faith-based society.” They’ll pay big bucks to help Leah deliver God’s message.

 

As the stakes increase and the country becomes more divided violence is inevitable.

 

The Message? A Thinking Thriller About Change and Choice by Avam Hale is a trope on the theme of how someone espousing fundamental tenets of Christianity would be received in modern society but despite being unoriginal it’s well researched, structured, realistically portrayed, and entertaining.

 

Hale cleverly has the main narrative supported by a parallel plotline of a twice-weekly class on the philosophical arguments for the existence of a monotheistic God and Creator delivered by a Professor of Philosophy. As Leah’s story advances so do the lectures converging with the question of the authenticity of Leah’s message from God.

The biggest problem I had with this book was a growing suspension of disbelief as the story unfolded. I couldn’t believe that God’s generic, unoriginal message, similar to lessons taught in Sunday school would get the push back Hale builds the tension in his story on. I kept waiting for some validation. A reason to believe. It never came.

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99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK. The BIRD WITCH – The Mattie Saunders Series Book 4

99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

The BIRD WITCH – The Mattie Saunders Series Book 4

‘til Sept. 7th

 

at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

Can you love someone whose worldview is different from yours? Who is committed to a cause that excludes you because of your race? Simon is an Indigenous person dedicated to the struggle for justice for First Nations people. Mattie loves him but is love enough?

Birds are dying. At the Saunders Bird Rescue and Sanctuary where rescued parrots abandoned by their owners are rehabilitated and re-homed, a deadly virus has them dying in Mattie’s hands. In the midst of this outbreak, she’s called to investigate a mortality event where dozens of starlings fly into the pavement as if committing suicide.

Mattie looks to Simon, her rock and refuge, for support, but after spending weeks at a remote protest site, as soon as he returns home he begins working with Wendy Walters, the attractive, ambitious Indigenous politician on her re-election campaign. Mattie’s just about had enough.

When Simon proposes a vacation on the Mexican Riviera, Mattie sees it as an opportunity to recover from the death of her beloved birds. She’s also hopeful it’s an indication Simon’s reconsidering his priorities. She didn’t realize while on vacation he’d want to attend the Conference of Indigenous Peoples in Chiapas. Mattie’s annoyed but decides to indulge her passion and do some tropical bird watching rather than attend a boring conference.

But Simon’s conference turns out to be anything but boring when a deadly firefight erupts between the Mexican Army trying to arrest suspected terrorists and revolutionary Zapatista’s.

Now Simon is missing, and Mattie is determined to find him, but to do so she must first escape being kidnapped by corrupt Mexican police and avoid abduction by vicious cartel members.

The fourth book in The Mattie Saunders Series, The Bird Witch combines romance and action with environmental themes for an exciting exploration of contemporary culture and issues.

“Fantastic voice! Great writing…great discovery!”
– Bryan Fagan, author of Dempsey’s Grill

“A great book. The characters are believable and relatable… makes me want to go back and read the other three!”
– Laurie Ingebritsen, author of Unexpected Healers

“Great book. Highly recommend.”
” …it is a joy to read a character that can make you feel so many different things but still enjoy her overall.”
– Goodreads review by Industry

“If you’re tired of the same old romance “formula” books that all read identically then this book could be for you. “
– Clark Wilkins, author of Survive – Love and Murder in Alaska

“A very professionally written ecological thriller book.”
– Tony Parsons

 

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99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK. FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend

99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend

‘til Aug. 31 at

 

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

Matthew and Raminder are young, idealistic and in love.

As soon as they can they plan to leave behind the small town and small minds of Pitt Landing. They will embrace life and experience the world, maybe even change it.

Man plans, God laughs. Raminder’s father has a stroke and her commitment to her family means she must postpone her plans and stay in Pitt Lake. It’s just the opposite for Matt. A family tragedy leaves irreconcilable differences between him and his father and forces him to leave.

They promise to reunite, but life happens.

Twelve years later, Matt is an acclaimed war correspondent. He’s seen it all and it’s left him with post-traumatic stress, a gastric ulcer, and an enlarged liver. He’s never been back to Pitt Landing though the memory of Raminder and their love has more than once kept him sane.

He’s at his desk in the newsroom, recuperating from his last assignment and current hangover and reading a letter from his father, the first contact they’ve had in over a decade. It talks about a legendary lost gold mine, a map leading to it, and proof in a safety deposit box back in Pitt Lake. He’s sent it to Matt in case something happens to him and cautions his son to keep it a secret.

Matt is about to dismiss the letter when the telephone rings. It’s Raminder telling him his father has disappeared somewhere in the wilderness that surrounds Pitt Lake.

Lost gold, lost love and lost hope compels Matt to return home to a dying town on the edge of the wilderness.

The forest is waiting.

 

 

★★★★ FOREST…neatly encapsulates the battleground of humanity’s greed for natural resources versus the cost to the environment… a compelling story, studded with evocative detail and under laid by a very real question – definitely worth the read.

– Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

 

 

★★★★ Definitely worth reading!

“Intriguing story about a man’s quest. Searching for a father, gold, peace of mind, love”
– e.memelink, reader review

 

 

★★★★★ Wow! A very well written mystery, suspense book.

 Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great foreign film adventure movie, or mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
– Tony Parsons, reader review

 

 

★★★★★ A search for true love and meaning in life

I truly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it. If you are looking for something meaningful, you’ll certainly get a lot of true love, trust, relationships, friendship, childhood memories, and a lot more in this excellent book.

 

 

★★★★★ A fantastic nature adventure. The author has a great writing style that is easy to read and very enjoyable.

– Jack Anderson

 

 

★★★★ A strong character driven novel

“… a snapshot into so many lives and somehow the author was able to create a believable story behind all this was spot on. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a deep character driven novel.”

 

 

★★★★ “The author did a wonderful job of pulling me in and caring about these people. This is the second book I have read of Rod Raglin. Both times I have been impressed with his work. I’m happy I came across this one.”

– Bryan Fagan, author of Dempsey’s Grill

 

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99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK – LOCAL RAG – News to Die For

99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

LOCAL RAG – News to Die For

 

til Aug. 26 at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers? Jim Mitchell doesn’t.

 

He’s a journalist and the publisher and editor of a community newspaper, The Sentinel. He gave up a career with big media because he couldn’t justify their choice of what to cover, couldn’t tolerate the way they edited his stories and would not be implicit in misleading the public to benefit some hidden corporate agenda.

 

When he bought The Sentinel, he thought all that would end. Being owner of “the local rag,” he could select the stories, edit the copy and make sure the interests of the community were served. He would print the truth – no slant, no bias, no spin, and he’d make a living doing it.

 

He was wrong.

 

From the beginning, Jim’s brand of reportage rankles some powerful people, people who pay his bills. Then there’s the new competitor, a multinational media conglomerate that’s expanding its generic community newspaper format into The Sentinel’s market area. Soon it’s a struggle for The Sentinel to make a profit and for Jim to keep true to his uncompromising ethic.

 

When his best friend, Anthony Bravaro decides to run for mayor Jim hopes he’ll be an honest politician. Hope turns to dismay as Jim watches the quest for power turn a good man bad. Tony’s campaign tests Jim’s professional objectivity and personal integrity. When Jim confronts his friend with damaging information that could end his run for public office he finds out how far Tony’s prepared to go to win the mayor’s seat – farther than he could ever have imagined.

 

 

 

– 5 STARS for having given his readers a story which pits an individual trying to do what’s right when it comes to reporting the news against those who would rather keep the status quo in keeping what happens somewhere stays there.
 
… a dose of reality not seen on most major media. His story highlights the control over the minds of the public by special money factions. Readers have only to see similarities with today.
 
… engrossing and exciting story that moves quickly. The narrative comes alive because the characters are three dimensional. This is a novel well worth reading. Highly recommended.
 
Raglin … grips the readers’ attention from the very first page. He managed to put so many levels in this book – corruption, drugs, murder, threats, politics. Yet, there is also place for love and friendship … he challenges his readers to get actively involved, to start asking questions and reconsidering their own life decisions.
 

…a well-designed, masterly written, and realistic murder mystery. (5 STARS)

Local Rag should appear to the careful reader much more than a well-designed, masterly written, and realistic murder mystery.

Local Rag is, in my opinion, a philosophical parable on the ultimate meaning of truth in our earthly lives. The last pages will clarify the individual relevance of the initial Aurelian quote in this story.
By the way, the closing image of the book is a powerful visual allegory about where humanity as a whole is heading fast, if not for a sharp change of route.
– Thomas Dalcolle, Author of Five Urban Stories – And Something Better

 

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99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK – Saving Spirit Bear — Eco-Warriors Book 1

99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

Saving Spirit Bear –  Eco-Warriors Book 1

‘til Aug. 18 at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

Kimberley James hopes her new assignment will jumpstart her stalled career with a New York corporate relations firm. Her client wants to develop a mega ski resort in northern Canada. Her job is to convince the current owners of the land to sell. With millions of dollars to be made, it seems like a done deal. Until she runs up against Jonah Baker.

 

Baker is part owner of a lodge on the land and an ardent environmentalist. He’s not about to permit a development that threatens ancient rainforests and the habitat of the rare and endangered Spirit Bear for any price.

 

Kim begrudgingly respects his principles before profit, but cannot allow a tree-hugging, bear-loving zealot to derail her fast track to success. Jonah admires her determination and worldliness but will fight to the end to stop a materialistic corporate climber from destroying something rare and unique.

 

Spirit Bear is the first in the stand-alone series ECO-WARRIORS.

 

“I loved Spirit Bear and was hooked by the second page. Raglin paints spectacular landscapes with his words. His knowledge, work and support of the wilderness made it that much more real. I felt compassion for both the main characters and was very happy the way Raglin ended the story. I really felt the promise of something great. I will be reading the next book immediately.”
– FIVE STARS – Reviewed by Bitten by Books

  

“I liked the concept of Spirit Bear. It was unique.. something I haven’t read a million times before. I wanted to read it because of the environmental aspects… the conflict between the corporation wanting to build a ski development and Jonah trying to save his family lodge for an eco-tourism location. The descriptions of nature and trees were wonderful. Kimberley’s inner struggle between doing what was right for the environment and doing what was right for her career was a great element. Jonah’s patience and acceptance of her … made his character stand out.”
– Reviewed by Tina Gibbons at Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

  

“An exciting read … I couldn’t put it down.”
– Lewis Dakin, Goodreads Review

“… beautiful description of the landscape and wildlife … really is a joy to read.”
– Elspeth, Goodreads Review

  

A strong preservation message with a side of romance
The ecological preservation message underlying the story really resonated with me and Raglin presents it in a way that identifies the problem without preaching. We need more stories like this, which show the real communities, both animal and human, and ecosystems at stake when an area that should be treated with respect and reverence is threatened by overdevelopment.

– Hayleigh Sol – author of Unexpected Find, Book 1 in the Silver Falls Series

 

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Words Kill – the tragic saga of a dysfunctional American family

Review:

 

When Cody Blaze meets his father, Russell, for lunch he has no way of knowing it will be the last time he sees him alive. A few days later, Russell is killed. It appears he fell asleep while returning from some out-of-town business and drove off the highway.

 

After the funeral, Cody is at the family home consoling his mother when he discovers a letter addressed to him in his father’s home office. The letter is written by Russell and discloses that if Cody is reading it, he didn’t die accidentally as it may appear. He’s been murdered.

 

In the letter, his father entreats Cody to read his unfinished memoir not with the intention of discovering “the motive for my death and the probable identity of my murderer”, but because “there’s so much about my life you never knew about, much of which leads up to this moment of my demise”.

 

As Cody begins to read the memoir, he discovers he never knew the details about his father’s early life, a life filled with violence and tragedy.

 

Russell Blaze grew up in the sixties and his memoir is steeped in the hippy counter-culture of the time as well as the eras’ turbulent politics. But it’s his own family members who are the most troubling including his younger brother, Leo, who when still a juvenile murdered their abusive stepfather.

 

Russell goes on to become a successful journalist, marry a black woman and have a child, while his brother, once out of prison becomes a proponent of white supremacy and lives a marginalized life of hate and violence.

 

Fate sets the two of them on dramatically different journeys only to converge with deadly consequences.

 

On the surface, Words Kill is a murder mystery and, in that regard, its plot is somewhat contrived. However, author David Miles Robinson has offered

us much more than a whodunnit. He’s written a book that showcases the big issues of that time in American including the War in Vietnam and others that still resonate today including the prevalence of post-traumatic stress syndrome among veterans, alcohol and drug addiction, and particularly racism. He also digs deep into a dysfunctional family dynamic and reveals how damaging events in early life can manifest into catastrophic results years later.

 

I particularly enjoyed this book because of Robinson’s realistic take on interracial relationships as well as his authentic depiction of the dark side of the hippy lifestyle. It wasn’t all sunshine peace, and flowers during the Summer of Love.

 

 

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