About the Book
Harness your outrage, rev up your suspicions, and throw out what you thought you knew about 21st-century political unrest. Are you ready for Emory's story?
A cult classic in the making.
A gritty mystery of the Great Recession that gets under the fingernails of American outrage today.
A foreshadowing of the unrest of the post-2016 election world.
Discontents: The Disappearance of a Young Radical is the first book in the gripping mystery of the 2011 disappearance of Emory Walden, the notorious graffiti artist and evasive dissident who was famously hunted by authorities.
"Witty and unsettling, this book takes you on quite the ride." - review
"Captivating book that will keep the reader constantly wondering what will happen next. Loved it!" - review
"A roller-coaster, counterculture read that keeps the excitement flowing." - review Synopsis
Fame as a social activist and graffiti artist brings Emory, a jobless millennial, the wrong kind of attention. He's wanted by the police. And he's tricked his cute, emo girlfriend, Carolyn, into thinking he's just a normal guy. When Emory meets Fletcher, a rich baby boomer, he and Fletcher embark on a plan to cause mayhem. But soon, Emory suspects someone is trying to destroy him, Fletcher, and their plan. Unsure of who to trust, can Emory betray his ideals to save himself? And can he pull it off while keeping Carolyn in the dark?
Discontents is a psychological mystery mixed with the rebellion of Saul Alinksy's Rules for Radicals and Naomi Klein's No Logo.
Backstory
January 2011 was the last time anyone saw the infamous Emory Walden. Why?
Emory set out to answer this question when he contacted a former friend, James Wallace Birch, with a request: publish my story.
This book puts to rest speculation about Emory's disappearance. Get your copy now because the hunt for Emory continues with the release of the long-anticipated follow-up: If You Find Emory Walden.
Praise for Discontents
"The story begins like a whirring fan, mesmerizing, energizing. And then just as you grow accustomed to the white noise it increases in speed and intensity. The notches are small but constant, and the effect is deceptively gripping." -David Brown, Goodreads review
"Discontents is a savant-level weaving of character, dialog and place into a "what's real and what's not" journey. The reader is whisked along as the protagonist's mind and sanity unravel as he tries to figure out who wants him dead." - Doc Munker, Goodreads review
"By using witty dialogue, well-crafted prose and constantly stoking the coals of unsettled relationships and motivations, Birch maintains a consistent level of traction with the reader enabling a near effortless ability to engage the material. Main characters are well-developed, relationships are clear, and ulterior desires/motivations are effectively obfuscated as the story unwinds keeping suspense at the level of intrigue." -Daniel Shortell, Goodreads Review
"The story is refreshing. The perspective of the real outsider-not someone who has found a comfortable place within this society, but a truly disaffected young man with no prospects-is a welcome change to the political thriller on the shelf." -Scott Bury, Goodreads review
"I really liked Discontents. The writing is excellent, and it satisfied from the start. But about 30 pages in, magic happened... Discontents hit the golden gear at this point--all of a sudden, the characters were real for me, and I wanted to turn the pages and spend more time with them. Then on top of that, a plot kicked in that I hadn't seen coming, and I was hooked in... This one's well worth your time...it'll stay with you after you've read the final page." -Joe Crubaugh, Goodreads review
