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Unbalanced Ledger
A gripping tale of loyalty, betrayal, and moral awakening in Cold War America.
Set in the early 1940s, Unbalanced Ledger follows Tommy, a war veteran struggling to rebuild his life on a failing farm in rural America. When government handler Harlan recruits him to infiltrate and report on a local cooperative community suspected of communist sympathies, Tommy believes he's serving his country's interests.
But as Tommy becomes integrated into the cooperative's daily life—sharing labor, resources, and genuine human connection—he discovers what true community can look like. His neighbors help him repair his farm, share knowledge and seeds, and offer the belonging he's desperately needed since the war. The discovery of communist literature belonging to his deceased friend Henry only deepens his internal conflict.
Caught between his duty to report on these "subversive" activities and his growing appreciation for the cooperative's principles of mutual aid, Tommy faces an impossible choice. The community that has embraced him practices the very ideals the government has taught him to fear. When nuclear catastrophe strikes, these cooperative principles become not just philosophical ideals but survival necessities.
Unbalanced Ledger explores the tension between individual loyalty and collective responsibility, asking what we owe to our communities versus our institutions. Through Tommy's journey from surveillance to participation, the novel examines how genuine human connection can challenge political orthodoxy and how survival sometimes requires choosing between competing definitions of patriotism.
A thought-provoking historical fiction that resonates with contemporary questions about community, cooperation, and the price of belonging.
Set in the early 1940s, Unbalanced Ledger follows Tommy, a war veteran struggling to rebuild his life on a failing farm in rural America. When government handler Harlan recruits him to infiltrate and report on a local cooperative community suspected of communist sympathies, Tommy believes he's serving his country's interests.
But as Tommy becomes integrated into the cooperative's daily life—sharing labor, resources, and genuine human connection—he discovers what true community can look like. His neighbors help him repair his farm, share knowledge and seeds, and offer the belonging he's desperately needed since the war. The discovery of communist literature belonging to his deceased friend Henry only deepens his internal conflict.
Caught between his duty to report on these "subversive" activities and his growing appreciation for the cooperative's principles of mutual aid, Tommy faces an impossible choice. The community that has embraced him practices the very ideals the government has taught him to fear. When nuclear catastrophe strikes, these cooperative principles become not just philosophical ideals but survival necessities.
Unbalanced Ledger explores the tension between individual loyalty and collective responsibility, asking what we owe to our communities versus our institutions. Through Tommy's journey from surveillance to participation, the novel examines how genuine human connection can challenge political orthodoxy and how survival sometimes requires choosing between competing definitions of patriotism.
A thought-provoking historical fiction that resonates with contemporary questions about community, cooperation, and the price of belonging.
439 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 23, 2025
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