Books in the Nathaniel Hawthorne Flowers series

Set amid the tumultuous days of American dissent against the Vietnam War and worldwide student protests, Anarchy brings Tim Rosencrantz, from Wild Blue Yonder, back into Nathaniel Hawthorne's life with evil and disruption. Tim, an SDS member, avowed communist and anarchist, has had a transformation on the bombed-out streets of New York and is now a full-fledged member of Weatherman. Bent on bombing America to its senses, he wants Nate at his side. Nate, although anti-war and intellectually sympathetic, is unwilling to participate in Tim's anarchy -- until, that is, Tim blackmails him. Their lives become an antagonistic pas de deux as the stakes rise: They try to remain collegial while despising each other's lifestyle. Unknown to Nate, the FBI has Tim and Crystal, his naive teenaged moll, under surveillance. As Tim and Crystal plot the bombing of a Bank of America, everyone realizes this cannot end well -- but just how badly they cannot imagine.

The year is 1969. After an interminable four years under the boot of the US military, twenty-four-year-old Nathaniel Hawthorne Flowers is ready for his real life to begin. His plans are straightforward: spend as much time as he can with his girlfriend, Jane, finish college, and become a writer.But when Nate is denied admission to UC Santa Cruz, he decides that a bachelor's degree isn't necessary for the path he's laid out for himself. He can learn about literature on his own, and he'll have more time to write if he isn't in school. His choice doesn't sit well with everybody. Jane's father asks Nate how he'll support Jane without a degree. Jane's mentor offers to pull some strings at SC if Nate agrees to become his student. And when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presents itself, even Nate is tempted by the allure of conventionally defined success.Picking up where Wild Blue Yonder left off, Madrone inspires us to consider how far we'll go to remain true to ourselves.Madrone was chosen for the Best Literary Fiction Award by the Independent Publishers of New England in 2016.