Tom Gnagey

Envisaging an Ideal Society Tom Gnagey

The tiny, sovereign, fictional country of Lelonia has languished in turmoil for decades. The call goes out for citizens to submit plans to rebirth the country - a fully condoned revolution of sorts. A pair of unconventional teenagers take up the challenge; Marcus - brilliant, insightful, optimistic - and his lifelong closest friend, Thomas - smarter than average, well read, pessimistic. Being young, naïve, and fully inexperienced in the ways of politics, these quiet revolutionaries feel they possess qualifications sufficient for creating a fresh, practical, approach to governing. They hike their country listening and observing to determine the nature and breadth of the problems and to discover the positive possibilities and how to set them free. They experience real dangers in a lawless land, the anguish and terror of the homeless, hungry, children, and witness the atrocities of the Despicables - amoral, roaming bands of bandits. They sense the indomitable spirit of Lelonia, poised to surface and soar again under a hope-filled, charismatic, leader. They create a socio-governmental system based in positive social values, which they call Mutual Facilitation. Their plan is the one selected. Marcus becomes the new Leader. As the previous divides between political parties and religions fade, a new, stable, safe, comfortable social order emerges. The story follows these characters through the ups and downs of the next forty years. Life became Eden-like in Lelonia - - until hostile forces gather. As classical goodreads go, this novel has risen to the top of the allegory fiction offerings of The Family of Man Press.