PAWTUCKET, R.I. - s4story -- In his new novel that is part thriller, part dystopian fiction, part political intrigue, and part morality play, Rhode Island author David Schoorens depicts the United States as a country in chaos. A national election broken by political violence, and a fearful electorate clinging to past mythical glories, combine to give a far-right president unprecedented power over all political opponents. A once great democracy's fall happened not because of a military coup or in the aftermath of economic collapse. Americans lost democracy because too many chose to discard it.

But there is hope. Can expatriates who still believe in democracy survive threats from the new United States government and bring democracy back to the country they once served and still love? Or will they pay dearly for their continued opposition to the powers that be? And can those in service to this new order be able to bear the great moral burden that obedience to an autocracy demands?

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In the end, Refuge is not a simple fairy tale—it is a warning of what our country's near future very well could be.

David R. Schoorens recently retired after 15 years as a high school science teacher and is a former junior officer in the United States Coast Guard. He currently lives with his wife Cathy in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Refuge: A Novel of Lost Democracy is his first book.

On Saturday, February 18, David will be signing copies of his book at the Cumberland Library Book Lovers Local Author Expo at 1464 Diamond Hill Road, Cumberland, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Refuge: A Novel of Lost Democracy is available for purchase through select bookstores and gift shops, major online retailers, and through the publisher at http://www.StillwaterPress.com. Additional information is also available on the author's website at http://www.refugedavidschoorens.com.

Refuge: A Novel of Lost Democracy
Written by David R. Schoorens
Paperback: $17.00
E-Book: $7.99
ISBN: 978-1-958217-65-8
Pages: 382