Readers' Guide to Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth by James D. Sanderson

After I first read the book, People Who Dwell Upon the Earth, I was going to ask the author to write an article to tell us why he had written the book. After I had looked through the Reader's Guide, I asked if I could just share the entire chapter, "A Novel of Social Protest." For me, this answered the question of "Why?"

A NOVEL OF SOCIAL PROTEST

There is really no understanding the poor, the homeless, the disenfranchised of American life. On the one hand there would seem to be enough for everyone – enough opportunity for all – we would only need to divvy it up properly. Because of this, there is a great distance between the wealthy, who believe everyone should work hard and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and those who ‘are’ working hard, often two or three jobs between a husband and

wife, and yet who are unable to ever pull themselves up. Medical bills wipe out their meager savings. The car breaks down. They get stopped without insurance because they cannot afford insurance this month. They have to choose between light, heat, rent, food and a hundred other things that are getting more expensive all the time.

The distance – the lack of understanding - exists on the other side too. On the side of the working poor. They can’t see how they will ever get ahead. They know the game is rigged against them but they can’t figure out how. When the rent is due they are just as likely to buy a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of wine, or a big old birthday cake for their precious six-year old daughter. Their frustration with ‘the system’ grows until it erupts in anger – often directed at

each other – or ends in defeat and despair.

No one should have to live this way – too rich or too poor, because either extreme is bad for the soul. Yet a point seems to have been reached that leads to greater control of markets by corporations, by wealthy investors, by government cronies. By the capital class. While the working class is squeezed more and more and is in jeopardy of being crushed out of existence.

When the developers and speculators can reap obscene profits, while the butcher at the local grocery store cannot pay his bills, something has gone terribly wrong.

No one seems to know what to do.

‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ is a novel of social protest much like John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. One of the primary criticisms of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ was that it presented a philosophy of communism. 

It is that same criticism that is likely to be leveled against ‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’. When, in the extreme case of corruption, violence,

and oppression in a government, the common people are forced to rise up and take control of the mechanisms of power, some form of communism may be the result.

There are several differences between a communist state and a church community. First and foremost is belief in God and the Bible, and a commitment to following the prompting of the Holy Spirit. There is a huge difference between a totalitarian police state and a loving and benevolent Father God.

The second difference is found in the voluntary nature of giving and sharing in the Christian community as found in Acts 2:42-48, and other places, and the mandatory ‘sharing’ that is found in a communist system. Being forced to contribute does not lead to loving care for one another. It leads to deceit and fear and anger.

The third difference between a communist state and a Christian community is the general sense of wanting to comply with God’s will, as opposed to being forced to comply with a central committee or power, or a single dictator. There are many other differences as well.

‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ anticipates what it would look like for a small Christian disciple group to act and lead in a world that has suffered the great agony of financial collapse, nuclear bombardment, and another world war. How would their way be different from the way of the world?

What we see in this novel is not a turn toward communism, but a way for people to move forward in the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is truly a different kind of Christian fiction. It is literary, intelligent, action-packed – being thrust forward by a sense of

community movement – and very important for today’s Christian trying to ‘make it’ in the real world.

~~~

A Readers Guide - a Study Guide means that you wish to spend more time with understanding about the book, Those Who Dwell Upon the Earth, by James D. Sanderson. And this guide is one of the best I've seen.

Not only does it contain a synopsis, but it reviews each and every chapter telling you what is covered during that part of the story. Reading the study guide, I realized just how much is covered in the book. Of course, just too much to mention in my review, but it is also a simple way of searching for and finding a specific chapter which you might want to review or share with others.

For instance, I realized that I had not one mention about a most significant thrust of the book--that of nonviolence. For someone who totally agrees with the need to move in that direction, I was gratified to see and read how to deal with the elimination of guns in today's world. Even in the book, it was not successful in action scenes. But was quickly reviewed and taught further in the church, classes, and more

Research of related books were reviewed to illustrate the difference between other similar books. Utopia versus Dystopia, noting that this book was written with a utopia futuristic life. While, at the same time, providing a little about each of the references so that further discussion can happen.

Yes, the guide is for both individual as well as group discussion. I suggest the latter since there is so much to explore and think about...what you might want to do to start living a nonviolent life and one that follows the teachings of Christ. Particularly the Sermon on the Mount.

One of the questions covered is one that haunts us these days. Can we, as Christians, really follow the words of Jesus?

There is also a list of ten questions for discussion or further individual study. Style of writing and format is also discussed so that the book itself can be understood from all angles.

Whether you use the Readers Guide is your choice... You may decide to read the novel and allow it to speak to you, which is wonderful. But if you are a member of a book club, or enjoy further study of the scripture behind a book, then I highly recommend this one for your consideration!


GABixlerReviews

May This Book, and Guide, Fill you with Peace and Faith...

Dakota Banks Talks About Getting Down to the Bones of the Book...

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Remember that in any synopsis, 
written pre- or post-book, 
you have to hit the high points of your story. 
It's like skipping across the snow-covered 
tops of a mountain range

Start with A Synopsis...


Many new writers (and some experienced ones) approach the synopsis grudgingly and with a certain dread. Many times it is left as the last task to do after the manuscript is completed, and is only attempted because an editor or agent has requested one. If that's your attitude, try to cultivate a better one. A synopsis can be a great help in two respects: as a road map and as a sales tool.

If you were planning a driving trip across the US, your personality would dictate how you'd set out. If you were a meticulous planner, you'd have a large number of maps, both broad and detailed, and mark your route with orange marker. You'd have all the hotel stops and sights to see marked out, and you'd have that 30,000 mile service done on your car a couple of weeks in advance. All your hotel reservations would be lined up in a row, and you might even have a daily schedule. A more relaxed traveler might get a USA map, study it the day before the trip, and have a general idea how many miles to traverse each day. The free spirited traveler would wake up one morning, hop in the car, and decide whether to drive east or west.

Writing a novel is a lot like taking a long trip and the synopsis is your trip planner. You're aiming for the middle of the spectrum, the relaxed traveler. A synopsis should be your road map, but not constrain you so that you have no creative freedom along the way. There should be plenty of opportunities to get off the Interstates and mellow out on the country roads.

When you've got an idea that you think can be developed at novel length, start by writing a one-paragraph summary. If you can't put your idea clearly into a single paragraph, you've still got some thinking to do. Then expand it to a page, then to five or six pages. Write in the present tense. This takes some practice, but that's the way a synopsis is generally written. Think of it as sitting across from someone in a social situation and telling your story aloud, in an exciting fashion. Introduce each of your major characters as they enter the story with a paragraph or two. No dialogue. No juicy subplots. Just the bare bones of the story. Remember that if you are going to end up with a 400-page manuscript, each of your five synopsis pages has to cover 80 pages of manuscript! Don't try for a chapter-by-chapter breakdown, unless you want to do that later on as a working tool for yourself. 

Polish your synopsis carefully, and let your writing style show. By this I mean use the same tone as you intend for your novel. If you are writing a dark, suspenseful, graphically violent novel, don't write your synopsis with prose that is the equivalent of smiley faces. If you are writing light or humorous material, let the synopsis reflect that. This is important because it helps you get things clear in your own mind, and it presents your book to an agent or editor accurately.

When you are working on the manuscript, use your synopsis as a guide. Develop all those characters and subplots, put in all the rich descriptions. Let your characters make decisions and take the lead, if that's your way of writing. But if you are going to deviate from the bare bones story in your synopsis, you should stop and consider where you're taking the story. Rewrite the synopsis from that point forward if necessary. It is a lot easier to rewrite five or ten pages to see how your new idea will play out all the way to the resolution than to invest the time to write a hundred pages of new material and find out you've plotted yourself into a dead end or sent your character into never-never land.

Don't consider the synopsis as a document carved in stone. By the time you complete the manuscript, your novel should be clearly recognizable as the story in your synopsis, but you've taken many liberties on the way from Point A to Point B.

Suppose you start out with an idea that is burning your fingers and characters that are leaping out of your head. Should you stop the flood of creativity and write a synopsis? No! Go right ahead and get down as much as you can, even if some of it is (well, let's be kind) less than sparkling. Sooner or later you'll come to a point when the rush of words slows down and you start to get that lost feeling. Maybe you're 20,000 words in and can't figure out what comes next. That's the time to back up and write the synopsis. Don't press on and get so discouraged that you never finish the book. 

Generally a first time novelist needs a completed manuscript to make a sale. When you've got a track record, though, you may be able to get a contract based upon a synopsis and the first 50-75 pages of the manuscript. The synopsis becomes not only a practical day-to-day guide in your writing, but your sales tool as well. You'll be submitting it to publishers directly, or your agent will be shopping it around, while you are finishing the book. Don't be coy in your synopsis and stop before you get to the end of the story. This doesn't tantalize agents or editors, it irritates them and brands you as unprofessional. Agents need all the information they can get about your novel to make their decision, and that means give it your best shot and don't dribble out pieces of the story. 

If you sell on the basis of a synopsis and later want to make a major change as the book develops, you should discuss it with your editor. That's the professional thing to do. I'm not talking about subplot changes or minor developments, but if your killer turns out to be a different person from the one in the synopsis, don't spring it on your editor. No editor wants a manuscript dropped on her desk six months after the contract was signed that bears no resemblance to what was purchased, even if you think the change is an improvement. You'll have to justify a change that affects the flow of the entire book, and get feedback on it from your editor. You, your agent, and your editor form a team to send your book out into stores in the best possible shape. You don't hold back with your teammates. 

So what happens if you've already written your book and now have to write a synopsis because an agent or editor wants to see one? It's basically the same process as above. Start with a one paragraph description, expand to a page, then to five to ten pages. The disadvantage to you in this case is that you haven't been able to take advantage of the roadmap concept when writing your novel. Remember that in any synopsis, written pre- or post-book, you have to hit the high points of your story. It's like skipping across the snow-covered tops of a mountain range instead of traveling up and down every valley between them. Make the synopsis an exciting read in itself rather than he did this, then she did that, and as a result he did this. The synopsis has to engage the reader and make him or her see the possibilities in all those valleys.

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