Whitepaper Falls

WHITEPAPER FALLS, the first in a trilogy that features the character of Julie Richards, is a novel set in the year 1962. Bill Donaldson, a young minister, moves to Wisconsin with his wife Marge to begin work as the sole pastor in a community church. Bill is idealistic, but genuine in his desire to do well. Marge is shallow and opportunistic, clever enough to fit in but not bright enough to realize she is a caricature of all she represents. Trouble erupts in the church and later Bill develops a deep, caring and intimate relationship with a prospective member, Julie Richards, that leads both of them to a point of decision and crisis. An overarching theme of the book is captured in a quote from theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, stated the same year as the novel's time frame: "Triviality is the great problem of the modern church." The more personal themes of the main characters will interest a wide variety of present-day readers: those who struggle to find themselves and engage in the real world, persons who lived through the 1960's (or would like to know what that was like), and those who find organized religion unfulfilling but want true depth and meaning in their lives. WHITEPAPER FALLS uses satire, concrete images from 1962 and firsthand experience in churches to present a readable, yet substantive work.