When President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize he noted the very real existence of evil in our world. “For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince Al-Qaida’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism-it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason . . .”
The president, of course, is referring to kind of massive evil that plays out a the world stage, but evil itself can be on a much smaller scale, be far more subtle than the slaughter of millions, yet equally as dangerous. The evil the permeates Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace comes not from a military regime but a single individual bent on destroying a family for her own personal gain.
But there the differences end. Evil, whether the product of one individual or many breeds the same oppression, hatred, and violence and anyone, no matter how morally-grounded can find their principles tested in ways they never imagined.
Yes, evil exists – on the largest of scales and in the most mundane of activities. Our challenge is to recognize what evil is and rise to the challenge to stop it.
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About Me
- catewrites
- A native of Minnesota, I set my first novel in my home state, which is actually another character in the book. Inspired by a true story, the universal themes of familial bonds and love, the existence of evil in ordinary lives, and its effects and consequences are some of the core elements in "Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace". Before writing a novel, I had a rather eclectic career. After graduating from Iowa State University with a BS in journalism, I spent several years in radio. Known as Bobbi Burton, my voice was probably a bit too smoke and whiskey-cured for the hog reports. That's when I returned to writing, spending a number of years in corporate communications. The reviews for "Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace" have been incredible, which is truly gratifying. I think this has a great deal to do with the universal themes in the novel - we all have families and the bond of shared blood that connects us, even when we're not getting along. That's the crux of this story - even the most morally grounded individual can be pushed to do things they would never otherwise consider when it comes to protecting loved ones from harm.
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