Checkers on the Hill

It is 1968 during a decade that has been labelled one of the most turbulent in history. The headlines are bold with many social and political movements happening including the Women’s Rights Movement, the Viet Nam War, Freedom Marches, segregation in our schools, and so on. There is a gas shortage, and businesses are shutting down. Our president, John Kennedy, had been assassinated just a few years earlier, and people were still coping with that and wondering if our leaders are safe now.

In this novel, author Doris Wilbur, immerses her characters into those true-life events. Samuel and Josie with their two young children must relocate to Washington, D.C. It is an exciting change from their quiet, predictable life in the country. Washington is a vibrant, international city full of possibilities. Both are soon on career paths to a higher standard of living but without realizing it, they are residents in a laboratory for protests, change, danger, violence, and deception.

Both Samuel and Josie must learn to work with others that have outspoken beliefs they have never been exposed to. Rules and norms are different, and they must learn how to adapt to survive. Josie uncovers secrets at her work and struggles with an Oath of Silence. The secret affects thousands of lives including those of her own family. Her life is in danger again when protests turn into violence.

Samuel and Josie must make tough choices or be pulled deeper into the chaos they do not want. What would you have done?