Becoming Just

While I was writing my latest novel Becoming Just: Book Two of the Becoming Chronicles, I wondered if it was too cynical, too 'days gone by', too fanciful.  Because we live in a kind world now, don't we? A world founded on tolerance and mature reflection. A world that applauds diversity and inclusion; one that aims to redistribute wealth and power, because we are only ever as advanced as our least well-off.
And there I was writing about intolerance and greed; the military industrial complex and power wielded badly by men (and I include some women in the use of that term).
But, just as I was finishing the novel, Russia invaded the Ukraine, Afghanistan imposed new restrictions on women, and all the signs indicate that America is about to emulate Afghanistan and tell women what they can do with their bodies. No mature reflection or tolerance in sight. Many significant displays of power wielded badly by men.
About the same time, I was reading Laurie Frankel's novel, based on fact, called One, Two, Three which is all about men in business and in politics joining their forces of greed to ruin towns, people and their future children.
Turns out, Becoming Just is not nearly cynical enough.