By David Krogh
In 1948 Winston Churchill spoke to the British Parliament saying, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” In Silent Thunder, Portland author Ephraim Weisstein portrays a story highlighting many of the most objectionable portrayals of mankind, copies several situations most people would like to forget ever happened and reflects upon Churchill’s reminder that the worst of history can repeat itself if we aren’t careful.
Silent Thunder is a fictional story that takes place in the year 2056. Global warming has increased worldwide temperatures by 2.5 degrees, beyond the point where scientists have said catastrophic results would occur. Catastrophic impacts including adverse weather, faltering economy, cities flooding and other areas experiencing drought, mass migrations from poor to wealthy countries and widespread epidemics have become the new norm. And with all that, a genetic mutation occurs which renders an increasing percentage of the human population mute (unable to speak). Distrust of the mute non-speakers becomes political to a point where new laws are passed creating confinement camps for these people. Non-speaking children are torn from their families and placed into special boarding schools. Individual rights are ignored and non-speaking adults are incarcerated in camps with armed guards. Survival within the camps is often based on who is the fittest or the smartest.
At this point, it is interesting to note that several comparable historic and inhumane events are evident to those savvy with history. The Native American boarding schools, World War II Japanese American detention camps in the US, wartime concentration camps and the rise of the MAGA movement are examples of events that are similar to those depicted within Silent Thunder and suffered by the non-speakers. The story includes two individuals (Pia and Charlene) who through activism and heroism strive to help the non-speakers reclaim their individual rights. To that end, the story achieves both success and tragedy.
Author Weisstein is from Boston where he earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education and worked for several years with different private groups promoting youth and job programs. He subsequently went into independent consulting dealing with various education and grant programs. He continued his consulting in Portland while also working in the education field. “Of local interest,” stated Weisstein, “I was the assistant baseball coach at Jefferson HS from 2017-2020.”
In addition, he also volunteered with the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon (PPAO) Leadership and Advocacy Team. Weisstein got involved with PPAO “due to my outrage over the Supreme Court overturning Roe.” One thing led to another and Weisstein partnered with PPAO in the publishing of his book, as he felt the themes of Silent Thunder were supportive to PPAO’s mission. As a further show of support, he is donating all profits of the book to PPAO.
Silent Thunder is self-published and printed locally. “While this is the first book that I authored,” stated Weisstein, “I developed the story for Replay Earth, (a science fiction story) which a friend of mine authored.” Asked what audience Silent Thunder would appeal to, he said, “With themes of communal care and political corruption, Silent Thunder will appeal to fans of near-future dystopian works that deal with mysterious epidemics, as well as those that explore long-simmering domestic tensions.”
Weisstein said his purpose in writing this book was multi-fold. “The message is the threat of divisive ‘othering,’ the rise of authoritarianism and the need for people of good will to oppose it in all forms. Related, is the question of what gives some the courage to stand up to oppose backward forces, in the face of threat, terror and even death while others do not. The two heroines are completely different personalities, yet they inspire others to take a stand.”
Besides looking at recent history, the author also relied on personal experiences in creating the story. “Like all authors, I referenced many of my life experiences. I am a child of the 60’s and 70’s and spent much of my life as a political activist. Also, like the main character, Pia, I grew up in a loving but dysfunctional family and experienced tragedy. Subsequently, I used the characters and the plot to help flesh out my questions about human nature and issues that have impacted me over a lifetime.”
In addition to being self-published, the author is also self-marketing the book. “The first phase of marketing Silent Thunder was done exclusively online. I conducted seven virtual readings, including one sponsored by PPAO’s leadership. Next, I would very much like to partner with one or more SE Portland bookstores and conduct on-site readings. I hope that this article will help in that respect.”
Silent Thunder is currently available to order online. Additional information about the book and the author is available at linktr.ee/silentthunderbook.
