Bartholomew's Satirical Novel "The Terrorist Plot at Gopherville" Brings Home Political Points

We call Steve Bartholomew "Bart" in these parts (Lake County in Northern California). Bart's book is a satire, and a good one. First, there's an entertaining, page-turning story to keep us involved. He's playful, funny, and even a little naughty here and there, all the while making serious points about The Patriot Act, Homeland Security, and The War on Terrorism.I believe it's important in these times to be able to use humor in all its forms to cast light on the political mapping of our culture, how it evolves slowly and almost imperceptibly in one direction and weaves into the fabric of our life so finely that we just take the garment from the closet and wear it. Bart's book turns the garment inside out so we can see the seams and how it's made.You'll love his anti-hero alter-ego, Bradshaw, a delightfully idiosyncratic geezer who eats roadkill, talks to himself, and wants to overthrow the government."Now, anyone meeting Bradshaw for the first time might have leaped to a number of mistaken conclusions. One of them might have been that he was anti-technology...Another wrong impression might have been that Bradsaw was poor...Another mistaken impression a stranger might have was that Bradshaw was ignorant and uneducated. That idea would be extremely wrong. Yet another possible impression might be that Bradshaw was crazy as a looon. In this, our theoretical stranger might possibly be correct" (Pp. 13-16)And, you'll love the ending, taken, as it happens, from one of my favorite childhood stories. Sorry, can't tell you. I'm sworn to secrecy. You wouldn't want me to be in violation of the Patriot Act, now, would you? dr seuss book collection