A Forgotten Man

The Life of Julia seriesbook 1 of 1

A Forgotten Man, the first novel in The Life of Julia series, is an emotional tale of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless. It's a story of one father's heroic struggle to provide for his family, of one mother's heartbreaking sacrifices, and the tragic unraveling of a young girl's once-promising future. The novel captures the unseen impact of the Great Recession on American families and explores the changing relationships between citizens and their government.

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The novel follows the Bosarge family — Jack, Donita, and their three-year-old daughter Julia — after environmental regulations force a small town seafood company to close, costing Jack his job and sending his family deeply into debt. As Jack fails to find employment, Donita loses hope and their way of life begins to crumble beneath a society that has forgotten about working class men and women.

Out of their trials and repeated attempts to recover unfolds a sad tale of injustice, hardship, and desperation. Packed with meaning yet plainspoken, A Forgotten Man shows what it's like to be broken, alone, and forgotten in modern America.

The debut novel from J. Pepper Bryars was inspired by the controversial political advertisement "The Life of Julia," by President Barrack Obama's reelection campaign. The ad showed snapshots of how government programs helped a fictionalized woman named Julia during 12 pivotal years in her life, beginning at age 3 and ending at age 67. The series from Bryars, however, will tell the rest of her story, showing the complete impact of an increasingly large and powerful central government, and what really happens to Julia and those around her.

A Forgotten Man is a cautionary tale that speaks for a "new lost generation" of American families who are beset by debt, burdened by government, and without the hopes and dreams that inspired, fueled, and built the great nation they inherited, but may not be able to sustain.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 208 pages

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