{"id":1365,"date":"2024-12-17T15:42:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T15:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=1365"},"modified":"2024-12-17T15:42:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T15:42:00","slug":"book-review-a-new-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=1365","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: A New America"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-large-font-size\"><strong><em>A New America<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-regular-font-size\">by Aaron Morell<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Genre:<\/strong> General Fiction \/ Political<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>ISBN: <\/strong>9798218988111<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Print Length:<\/strong> 312 pages<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row 1 wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3DkCkCT\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9798218988111\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Reviewed by Toni Woodruff<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ub_advanced_heading wp-block-ub-advanced-heading\"><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong>A gripping story that depicts a fictional, fragmented U.S. and the temptation of revolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>To some, the word secession might bring up antiquated, antebellum images of the Civil War. In Aaron Morell\u2019s <em>A<\/em> <em>New America, <\/em>secession is the tragic present.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Roman Wolfe is a California journalist who is investigating the secession and the country that is born from the event, Independence. Despite the brusque name, the sentiment of independence, freedom, and most importantly, tax-free lives are what the residents strongly value.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even with freedom at its helm, Independence has few foreign journalists covering the state of affairs first hand. Roman decides to pioneer this venture to explore the new, infant political topography and the policies enacted to preserve Independence. It becomes clear, at the very least to Roman, that Independence is not a far cry from its predecessor nation as it faces a monumental racial divide.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Many of the residents have bought into a myth of Mexican cartels being smuggled into Independence by the United States and that many Latinos in the community are secretly harboring dangerous criminals. Roman\u2019s own personal life also becomes a source of clashing conflict, as he tries to navigate a relationship with a secretive woman named Kat, an Independence resident. The inclination comes to the forefront during the Independence election year.<\/p>\n<p>Something that is evidently clear from the initial pages is that this novel functions as a part expos\u00e9, part story. And it captivated me. Embedded between anecdotes of troubled farmers and disjointed families lies Roman\u2019s thoughts throughout a personal journey. He offers a reasonable voice that cuts through the more reactionary beliefs that Independence was succumbing to. His voice has a ruminative coating, often thinking about the human instinct behind actions. Why were the people of Independence so afraid of the boogeyman they created? Roman offers the reader a lot of thoughtful discussion regarding this question.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Roman\u2019s relationship with Kat is also quite fascinating, if not saddening. Kat\u2019s subpar treatment of Roman comes from her need to feel superior, stemming from her insecurity with her own mother. They keep wanting to recreate the lightning in a bottle moment of when they first met, not realizing how shrouded Kat\u2019s life was. He reports their relationship similar to the way he reports other incidents in Independence; as though he is an observer and not part of it. This concept is well-executed, like many others concerning the politics of Independence, and it makes for a deep-thinking, thought-provoking novel.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I longed to hear more from the youth though. They\u2019re often mentioned as antagonizers or victims, but it\u2019s rare to get the viewpoint of someone who grew up solely on Independence soil and has no other way of life. They come across mostly as political pawns, which is a compelling angle, but it does feel like we are missing something without their thoughts and internal experience.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d gladly recommend <em>A<\/em> <em>New America <\/em>to political fiction readers who have an interest in journalism or appreciate thought-provoking stories on America with a clear, riveting writing style.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row 1 wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3DkCkCT\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Buy on Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9798218988111\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Buy on Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff\u2019s book review of<em> A New America <\/em>by Aaron Morell! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row 1 wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/book-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Book Reviews<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">IBR Blog<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/writers-only\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Resources for Writers<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/2024\/12\/17\/book-review-a-new-america\/\">Book Review: A New America<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/\">Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A New America by Aaron Morell Genre: General Fiction \/ Political ISBN: 9798218988111 Print Length: 312 pages Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Toni Woodruff A gripping story that depicts a fictional, fragmented U.S. and the temptation of revolution To some, the word secession might bring up antiquated, antebellum images of the Civil War. In Aaron Morell\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1365"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}