The Jefferson Project by Thor Duffin
The Jefferson Project
by Thor Duffin
Steinwald Books, 2010
Reviewed by Wil Hough
The country groans under the weight of self-serving, corrupt government officials. Politicians fan the flames of class envy and racial tension to divert attention from their own failings. Wall Street and many other financial districts across the country and around the world are under siege. Citizens are angry, as am I, but the majority of the rich and powerful do not seem to care, if they even notice. Riots are certain to break out as unemployment soars and entitlement programs are cut back. A well-known personage has already called for a return of the guillotine. The time certainly seems ripe for authoring alternatives to the system now under siege.
Thor Duffin has already taken advantage of the subject with a compelling novel blending both intrigue and potential solutions to the present political state of affairs. In his novel, The Jefferson Project, a Political Science instructor at the University of Virginia asks his students to propose solutions to the various problems of modern day Democracy. David Archer and a few other classmates take him seriously. Some of their essays get national attention when posted on the Internet. When they propose real, fundamental changes to the government, the students are joined by forces powerful enough to help make it happen.
With their “real good thing” now threatened, Washington’s power elite fight back, doing everything possible to hinder the movement. When it looks like it might succeed anyway, they decide to take more direct action, which put the students’ lives in imminent danger. As things come to a head, Congress attempts the ultimate political end run to seize power and discover they are not the only player in the game. Can Democracy survive?
How would YOU change things? It’s obvious there are puddles on the floor, but what is leaking? Too often we deal only with the symptoms and ignore the source. What Duffin manages through his main character, an engineering major, is to lead us through a root cause analysis. The end result is both mind-blowing and encouraging. For instance, how can we possibly hope to make real changes with a government headed by “improperly motivated incompetent people elected by an ignorant electorate that is also improperly motivated.” There is a solution. But can our leadership be forced to seek it out?
The problem is not with the people but the system. Many a newly elected reformer has ridden off as to the Crusades only to be gobbled up by the election machine. After all, how is a congressman supposed to find the time and inclination to fight for real change when the moment he has been elected he must turn around and fundraise for the next election a mere two years hence? And to whom is he beholden? To the electorate he represents or the contributors who expect a return on their expensive investment? You do the math and come up with an alternative. Better yet, enjoy Thor Duffin’s engaging political thriller while considering the solution presented through his characters as well as the style by which he presents it.
I found The Jefferson Project to be both exciting and thought provoking. Duffin’s style, much like that of science fiction author Robert Heinlein, is worth study by those of us interested in sharing ideas layered between the lines of “fiction.” Rather than driving away potential readers with dry essays, the general public can be lured into taking part in arguments and re-evaluating inbred preconceptions without ever realizing what is taking place.
Thomas Jefferson famously stated, “Should our government once again fail to represent the needs of its citizens, it will be the responsibility of those citizens to rise up and set things right again.” The journalist, A.J. Liebling, also said, “Freedom of the press belongs only to those who own the press.” Well, with access to the Internet, each of us now owns our own printing press. It is our sacred responsibility to make good use of it.
Wil Hough is Poetry Editor and Graphics Editor for Rose & Thorn Journal.
Thank you for your review of my husband's book, THE JEFFERSON PROJECT. I'm glad you enjoyed it. You might be interested to know that Thor's 2nd book is finished and is now available as an e-book. It is called "THE LOST NOTEBOOK" and we're hoping to get it in print sometime in the future. Hope you get a chance to check it out.
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