Minnetonka, MN, November 5, 2012 – Given all the political turmoil around our country today, there is only one possible solution, says satirist Alan Beck. Laugh.
In his new book A Southern Solution (Createspace), he follows a retired psychiatrist as he attempts to escape to Mexico and away from the chaos and corruption that is America. Despite being fiction, the satire features the only too-real current dysfunctional state of the nation.
“If you can’t laugh at it, it’s only going to hurt,” says Beck. “Conveying the message of our downward spiral is important as we seem to stall at any important decisions in our society.”
A Southern Solution is a dark satire about the disappearing American Dream. The main character’s plans for a lazy, margarita-fueled retirement are thrown into chaos when a zany cast of characters steps into the picture. Both the FBI and the Chinese government seem to have bigger plans for him, and Kopfklopper soon finds himself in a dizzying whirlwind of political intrigue. As he works his way through the mess, he finds the key to balancing America’s national budget without negatively impacting anyone, and now the clock is ticking as he decides whether to become the next big politician or to stick with his new life of leisure on the beach.
Beck believes A Southern Solution will appeal to mature audiences disillusioned with the current political, economical and ethical state of America, much like his main character. He takes serious events happening around the world today and puts a humorous twist on them in order to engage readers, rather than bore us with a recap of the events we live through day after day.
“A Southern Solution addresses most current events. It looks at how we can solve the national deficit without reducing entitlements or raising taxes,” Beck says. “Real politicians are running on platforms that support part of this. My novel aims to shed light on what is going on in our country, Europe and the rest of the world.
“Hopefully by laughing at the situation we can come to grips with our circumstances,” Beck adds. “The affairs of the world and our country are often comic as well as tragic. We all view a certain amount of insanity in daily life. Writing satire is my way of dealing with it.”
A Chicago native, Beck has been a practicing physician in the Midwest for more than thirty years. He is married with two adult children and a dog, and enjoys spending time with them. He also loves to read, bike, play tennis and golf. This is his second novel.
www.asouthernsolution.com