Sundown America – Is This How It Ends?

Set in the years 2020-21, Sundown America – Is This How It Ends? dramatizes our nation’s struggle against those intent on destroying it from within.

Marc Marchand is a high school history teacher in a small Berkshires town. He is praised and damned for presenting a balanced view of our country – not just the admirable but the troubling aspects as well, including slavery, white backlash, Native American dispossession, and into our current polarized era. The story opens with an explosive classroom demonstration marking the hundredth anniversary of the Tulsa Race Riot. Though widely acclaimed, his truth-telling infuriates those who cannot tolerate young minds being exposed to the dark side of our history, who think Americans aren’t able to deal with the truth or can’t be trusted with it.

Sensing an important story, the editor of the local weekly invites Marchand to comment on the politics of the time, notably Donald Trump’s attempt to gain control of the country by dividing it. Marchand’s articles expand his notoriety, sparking opposition as well as support.

On January 6th, thousands descend on Washington to vent their frustration and, some number of them, prevent the nation from closing ranks and moving on. A large crowd incited by Donald Trump storms the Capitol and forces its way in, trashing parts of the hallowed building and temporarily halting Congress’ certification of the Presidental vote. Seven people die including four police officers, with many government workers and protesters injured and traumatized. Hundreds are arrested and the rest of the mob disperses as the certification is completed. Cody Allen, a long-time acquaintance with whom Marc Marchand has contended for years, a Trump supporter and member of a local militia group, is caught up in the Capitol attack. Allen’s arrest and conviction have a dramatic impact on the two men, altering their relationship in surprising and unsettling ways.

On January 20, Joe Biden is sworn in as the forty-sixth President of the United States. In his Florida retreat Donald Trump continues to sulk and plot, bobbing and weaving in his unprecedented course through the criminal justice system.

At one with this critical time in our history, Sundown America – Is This How It Ends? tells a dramatic tale, with real people and characters we come to know, love and hate. Swept along with them, the reader is immersed in tragedy, triumph and everything between, and forced to confront a fundamental question: Can our consensus form of government survive powerful, well-funded, dedicated opponents who refuse to play by the rules, who foment discontent and reject the common good?