Jack Salinger is a cynical, pot smoking psychiatrist who practices on-line in a radically altered America of the future. He lives in a hermetically sealed penthouse in one of the American cities that survived a devastating war against foreign and domestic terrorism. Brutal class warfare between the rich and poor has resulted in the overthrow of America's representative democracy. An economically based aristocracy has been in control of the government since Second Independence Day, the anniversary of a domestic coup that brought the wealthy to absolute political power. Miranda Lee-Weston, the appointed figurehead President of the United States logs on to Dr. Salinger's web site. The president is attempting to recruit 56 psychiatrists willing to become signatories to a strange document. Resembling the original Declaration of Independence, the president's Certification of America will declare the sitting government no longer competent to rule by reason of insanity.
The Certification of America, a social science fiction novel, addresses issues of critical importance in our country today. What if the growing polarization between the rich and poor continues until class warfare breaks out? What if foreign and/or domestic terrorism escalates until the unthinkable happens? What steps might our national leadership take to ensure the survival and the stability of American society? What can we do today to prevent the events depicted in this story from happening?
The Certification of America, the first of a planned trilogy of novels, is a cautionary tale. A quotation from Nevil Shute's On the Beach is pertinent:
"There is still time."
