Divided We Fall

Reedy, Trent. Divided We Fall. Book 1 of the Divided We Fall series. 2014. 384p. ISBN 9780545543675. Available at FIC REE on the library shelves.

In the midst of an economic crisis, the United States of America are fraying apart. The federal government has now mandated a new identification card for all citizens which is supposed to secure the movement of people but which, for many people, will restrict freedom of movement. Many states protest, including Idaho. The Governor of Idaho, supported by the legislature, claims that the state will not enforce this rule. Washington replies that Idaho has no choice. Protests on both side erupt.

Danny Wright’s mind was far from all of these issues when he joined the Idaho National Guard. He just wanted to be like his father and serve his country with honor. With so many units out of the country and serving in Iran, the Guard is stretched thin. When the Governor requests the Guard’s activation to oppose a protest, youthful units are activated, and Danny finds himself in Boise, Idaho’s capital, instead of at a party with his girlfriend and his friends. What begins as crowd-control suddenly turns deadly when Danny accidentally fires his gun, and other guardsmen join in. Twelve people die, including a girl Danny’s age. And Danny, wearing his guardsman uniform and gas mask, is photographed administering first aid.

Now Washington and the rest of the country is outraged. The guardsmen are ordered responsible for this massacre are ordered to surrender themselves to federal authorities, but the Governor resists the order, and a showdown between Idaho and the United States is all but certain. As Idaho slowly dives into a wartime economy, what was unthinkable gets closer to reality every day: a second Civil War. And Danny will have triggered it. Can you be a hero to some while being a villain to others?