Hope Interrupted is a cautionary tale of hope, fear, optimism, existential dread and living.

Byron and Jennifer, a Black man who grew up in the South, and Jewish woman who grew up in the North, wrote during six months of COVID, a failing economy, Black Lives Matter and political unrest. They are average Americans, born two years apart who jointly experience family, working lives, marriage, health and the future of a fractured nation. Written while generally 1,300 miles from each other, they explored the mood and attitude that traversed the United States.

The locations of Ohio, Louisiana and New Mexico are central to their story.

Their work explores what it means to be an American and what the future holds for their offspring and the next generation. It reflects upon what their own ancestors’ may have envisioned decades earlier. This includes reflections and introspection of their own lives aligned with a world experiencing a full-blown crisis.

While their narrative concluded on November 3, 2020 (USA Election Day) they revisited their premise and the state of the nation again, three months later. Their sense of optimism, hope and perseverance speaks truth to individuals with family challenges, aging parents and a battle cry that calls out to anyone who has questioned the fragility of life.

Their story is one with humor, realism and raw candor.

Byron, an award-winning journalist and Jennifer, an award-winning executive with credentials in psychology lean into hope and ultimately ask if there is or ever truly was, an American Dream.

Books will be shipped after May 1. Hope Interrupted is available on Amazon as a “real” book or “e-version.”