An election saved his life. Will a campaign now destroy it?
John Quincy Barnes doesn't like politics.
A relentless idealist, he's only willing to take time away from his law practice at Connecticut's most prestigious firm to participate in the political process as a strategist and fundraiser, because he believes that the result of a single election altered his destiny-and saved his life. Nevertheless, he's never even considered putting his name on a ballot until asked to do so by his mentor and father figure, Aidan Coyle. Aidan, Connecticut's most influential party boss, wants Quinn to primary four-term Senator Saul Berg to address the state's growing crisis over income inequality.
The timing of Aidan's plea could not be worse. At work, Quinn has just undertaken the controversial pro bono representation of the mother of a Latino teen shot in nearby East Haven. At home, he's struggling mightily in his marriage to his wife, Brooke, while his daughter, Eliza, and two sons, Pierce and Ben, grapple with the challenges of growing up multiracial.
Quinn is forced to decide whether the call to meet his destiny demands that he risk everything to take on the challenge of a lifetime. And put his idealism up against the monstrous beast that is modern American politics.
About the Author: Gary H. Collins is president of the Council for a Livable World, whose more than one hundred thousand members make it the nation's largest political action committee devoted to nuclear disarmament issues.
A former congressional candidate, Collins's professional experience includes a partnership in one of Connecticut's oldest and largest law firms, where his practice focused on government investigations. Prior to that, he served as an assistant US attorney in Washington, DC during the Clinton administration. He's previously taught Government Investigations at UConn Law School and is the coauthor of the ABA best-seller Warning the Witness.
Collins sits on the board of several nonprofit organizations and is the founder of the Collins Foundation, Inc.
Collins earned his juris doctorate from Vanderbilt University School of Law and his bachelor of arts degree in political science from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
