Three strikes and you’re out. That's the iron-clad rule in a near-future North America where patience with crime—and criminals—has run out. First offenders are educated about the consequences of their crimes, the goal being effective rehabilitation. Second offenders are sent to prison in the hope they’ll get the message. And those who offend a third time . . . They’re kicked out. In this intriguing novel, novelist and philosopher Peg Tittle explores the consequences of crime and punishment in a world where repeat offenders are permanently expelled from society. LJ is one such offender, who finds himself escorted into a partitioned area of northern Canada. Exile is the story of his quest for survival and, eventually, restitution.
Peg Tittle (pegtittle.com) has written seven novels to date: Fighting Words: notes for a future we won't have, Jess, Gender Fraud: a fiction (category finalist in the Eric Hoffer Book Award competition), Impact, It Wasn't Enough (also a category finalist in the Eric Hoffer Book Award competition), What Happened to Tom (on Goodreads' list of Fiction Books That Opened Your Eyes To A Social Or Political Issue), and Exile.
She has also written several non-fiction books including Sexist Shit that Pisses Me Off, What If? Collected Thought Experiments in Philosophy (Taylor & Francis), and Critical Thinking: An Appeal to Reason (Routledge).
Her screenplays (including What Happened to Tom and Exile) have placed in several competitions, including Moondance, Fade-In, GimmeCredit, WriteMovies, Scriptapalooza, and American Gem. Aiding the Enemy has been produced as a short by David McDonald.
She was a columnist for the Ethics and Emerging Technologies website for a year (one of her pieces received 35,000 hits, making it #3 of the year, and another received 34,000 hits, making it #5 of the year), The Philosopher Magazine's online philosophy café for eight years, and Philosophy Now for two years. In addition, her short commentary pieces have also been published in Humanist in Canada, Links, Academic Exchange Quarterly, Inroads, Elenchus, South Australian Humanist Post, Forum, and The Humanist. Her longer pieces have appeared in Free Inquiry, The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, New Humanist, The New Zealand Rationalist and Humanist, Philosophy in the Contemporary World, and Sexuality & Culture: an interdisciplinary journal. And she's had a list published at McSweeney's ("Why Feminist Manuscripts Aren't Getting Published Today"). She now blogs (sporadically) at pegtittle.com and hellyeahimafeminist.com.
She has an M.A. in Philosophy, a B.Ed., and a B.A. in Literature, and has received over twenty Arts Council grants.
An interesting novella that would have been a good novel. The premise is that Canada has been annexed by the US and uses the near north to imprison "ThreeStrike" criminals behind an electric wall. The men must fend for themselves as they are left without any type of provisions aside from what they are allowed to bring in a small pack. A vehicle for debating the issues of incarceration vs. reforming criminals. Thought-provoking stuff, as usual from Peg Tittle.
This book started off good then just left me on a sour note. It faded to and un impressing ending that seemed just lazy and not fulfilled. I don't know if the writer just got bored and gave up or is really just lacking ambition. I felt as if I wasted my time reading what started out so well to be left with such nothing. I don't think I'll be reading any more books by this author just sad.