CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865, origin of today's political, economic and social conflicts and the 19th Century national transformation from farm to factory, town to city, pioneer to wage slave Bible to Darwin, honor to profit. The story of this historic pivot set in Colorado 1882. Strong characters in a vortex of political corruption, genocide, drugs (Merck, the start of big pharma, founded in 1827 to produce morphine and later cocaine; Union army purchased 10 million morphine tablets for field hospitals and more than 200,000 addicts returned home after the war), gun violence (endemic after 650,000 fratricide in the Civil War), abortion, homosexuality and abiding hope. Not to be missed!

Christopher Lee Bowen born in the Philippines, lived in Qingdao, China, served in US Army, worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Undergraduate degree from School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, graduate degree from University of Minnesota. Resides in Oakland, California.