This is the story of Kat Dunbar’s return to her childhood home to be with her father Steven when he is facing the end of his life. Kat lives in California, Steven in a Northern Ohio suburb.
They had been close when Kat was young, but the generational pressures and geographical distance made their adult phone and letter communications cryptic at times. Still Steven asked Kat to be with him at this time and she’s eager to do so. It is important to her to revisit her childhood home and be of assistance to her last remaining parent during this transition. Kat had traveled back to her family home infrequently during her adult years for a number of reasons that are revealed. Kat and Steven discover family secrets during these few weeks together.
This interchange is set in 1999, a time filled with pivotal social developments that have had lasting impact. The President Clinton impeachment trials are in full swing. The Yugoslavian civil wars have been going on for several years and still rage in some areas. The final year of the twentieth century raised concerns about computer failures when the calendar turns to 2000 (Y2K).
These events also reveal the deep conflicts in the psyche of the people of the United States of America at that time, conflicts coming into the limelight again in 2017. Examples of these are :
- sexual assault accusations toward many men who hold positions of power in every sector of contemporary society;
- social upheavals caused by West-East tensions;
- the critical roll of computers in forming cultural communications.
Steven belongs to a luncheon Birthday Club started by an African American Judge and her husband, that draws people of every persuasion from the greater Cleveland area. The only qualification for Club membership was having a birthday. The comments of these minor characters add important perspectives since they belong to varied social levels and communities.
Within this illustrated, multimedia story will be links to concise informative essays about issues that are referenced.