Falling Idols: The Courage to Question

By Billie Kelpin

Absorbing and Uplifting, Relevant and Relatable
"This novel is a touching story about families and relationships strained by the times and the new replacing the old. It is told with wit, empathy, insight, and literary skill."
-Casey Dorman, former editor and publisher of the literary quarterly Lost Coast Review and author of Ezekiel's Brain, The Oedipus Murders, Murder in Nirvana, and other literary and scholarly works.

Hardly a rebel, twenty-three-year-old Kate Kensington is studious, serious, and not a stranger to falling in love or dreaming of the future. But in the late 1960s, with revolution in the air, Kate is about to discover that every value she held dear will be tested.
With six weeks left to graduation, Kate begins questioning the methods championed by the esteemed Dr. Agnes Ashcroft. This method, favoring speech over sign language, leads to a profound internal struggle for Kate, challenging her beliefs and identity.
Kate also finds herself at odds with her father, a veteran of World War II who can't understand her generation's opposition to the war in Vietnam, and her overprotective mother, who fears for her daughter's future.

Returning to her protective childhood home "just for the summer," Kate takes up a teaching position for deaf fourth graders, only to stumble upon a brewing controversy surrounding the use of sign language in public schools. As she navigates these uncharted waters, an unexpected blast from the past, Johnny O'Connor, reappears in her life, introducing Kate to a world she had long neglected. Johnny's experiences since their breakup five years ago have transformed him into a worldly, somewhat bohemian revolutionary. Captivated by his tales, Kate begins to embrace the awakening revolutionary spirit within herself.

In the face of unprecedented threats from her former professor, Dr. Alice Ashcroft, Kate boldly chooses activism over apathy. As she strives for love, meaning, and independence, Kate discovers her voice in a world pulsating with change.

"Falling Idols" is more than a tale of upheaval in the '60s; it's a story that inspires us to question courageously, especially in the age of social media. It resonates with the challenges of young adulthood-the search for identity and the bravery needed to examine ingrained beliefs and embrace new ideas, all in the pursuit of directing our own destiny. This gripping story is a compelling blend of historical turmoil, personal growth, and the enduring spirit within each of us to find our place in a world that will always be in flux.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09M6C136R
• ISBN13: 9798497163575
• Release Date: November 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"