Hope in the Time of Monsters

'Us' and 'Them.'

There is a global resurgence of an old 'monster': Prejudice.

This Hans Holbein woodcut from the 1500s reflects a time when plague threatened survival—yet today, racism and prejudice remain even more devastating to humanity and our shared future.

Dear Friends,

I’ve written a lot about Unity in Diversity, and how, as a Baha’i, my faith shapes my belief that humanity is ONE. When I visit schools to share my picture book, The Nightingale’s Song, I always tell the children, “Friends come in all colors, shapes, and sizes, just like flowers in a garden!” and wow! —those kids light up! We are hardwired for unity. Prejudice is the aberration. It stagnates us, robs countless people of living their full potential and poisons the hearts of those who feel “entitled.”

Every human being shares 99.9% the same genetic material. There is no them. Yet the world remains in turmoil, driven by race ideology that pits neighbor against neighbor.

Literature helps open hearts and minds—whether it’s a picture book for school children, or a novel for adults.

My sister and writing mentor, Michele Torrey, has just released one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read, but don't take my word for it. Her novel, Fox Creek, was selected as one of Kirkus Review’s Best Indie Books of August, who described it as, “A rich, engrossing tale about the antebellum South that delivers indelible characters.” Read the full review here.

Fox Creek explores that uncomfortable, intimate space where human beings - Black, white, and mixed-race - share daily life, know each other’s families and children, share the intimacy of birth and death…and yet one ruthlessly oppresses the other.

The reader witnesses people fumbling through life under an enforced, arbitrary caste system that designates some as “property” and others as “lawful owners.” There are no easy answers in Fox Creek, but rather the tragedy of a failed, blinded society whose reverberations are still being felt today.

In the early 20th century, as race ideology raised its head yet again with tragic consequences, Antonio Gramsci wrote of "the time of monsters."

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Today, we once again witness monstrous events, but also acts of courage, justice, and heroism. Each of us has a role in building a world that celebrates diversity and honors every person. In this world-building work, writers wield their words. Fox Creek stands among the great novels that shatter the lie of 'us' and 'them' and reminds us:

There has only ever been us.

With Love and Unity,

Andrea

P.S. In a twist of timing, the review of my young adult novel, The Great & the Small, appears in the September Kirkus Reviews - just a month after Michele’s, though both books took decades to write and publish. It was Michele’s encouragement that led me to start writing in the first place.

To learn more about Michele and to read her book, visit www.metorrey.com.