I’m excited to introduce two central characters from my book Birds of a Feather—Julie Smith-Smith and Rusty Claxon. These two are at the heart of the story, and their contrasting perspectives really drive the tension in Anderson Township.
Julie Smith-Smith
Anderson Township was changing. Once a quiet, tight-knit suburb where local issues took center stage, it had begun to feel the pull of forces beyond its borders. The days when uneventful school board meetings focused on personnel updates and policy changes were fading. In their place came heated debates over complex social issues as irreconcilable cultural divides crept in, gradually overshadowing the local concerns that had once mattered most to the community. Like so many American suburbs, Anderson’s focus had shifted from matters one could see and experience firsthand to distant concerns—issues only read about on phone screens, all relayed from the cell phone towers scattered across the township. These eager messengers were everywhere—looming over parks, tucked behind shopping plazas, even disguised as crosses in front of churches—each transmitting global anxieties into every corner of the local community.
The devices that promised to connect everyone instead seemed to sow division, with each notification adding to the growing tension—distress for some, a rush of excitement for others. Some residents became consumed by the contentious nature of national, global, and identity politics, finding a twisted thrill in dragging these broader issues into their local sphere. They became like nodes in a larger network, injecting the worries of the world into the peaceful rhythms of everyday life. Among these “nodes,” none was more dedicated—or more ambitious—than Julie Smith-Smith.
Julie was a prime example of this new breed of local activist, logging an impressive six hours of screen time each day. Deeply entrenched in left-wing politics, she funneled a steady stream of DNC narratives directly into Anderson’s collective consciousness. Thanks to Julie and others like her, the same polished ideas crafted in remote think tanks stationed in places like New York and Chicago slipped their way into school board meetings and public forums, much to the frustration of the local community. The confusion and squabbling that followed was a far cry from the township’s former harmony. Yet for Julie, it was a sign of progress.
Her media connections ensured there was always a corporate journalist just a phone call away, eager to churn out another hit piece portraying Anderson as backwards for questioning the latest cosmopolitan orthodoxy. It was hard to find an article about Anderson politics that didn’t feature a soundbite from Julie, who had positioned herself as Anderson’s de facto public relations manager, shaping the town’s image at her whim, whether people liked it or not.
Rusty Claxon
Hard work and determination had brought Rusty much success, especially in his auto repair business which thrived on Beechmont Avenue. There seemed to be no end to the SUVs that limped and sputtered from the fray of Beechmont traffic into his shop. But it also brought a dark side to Rusty. The same unwavering discipline that stood as the foundation of his success transformed into an immovable stubbornness in his personal life, where he lived like an unreachable boulder at the bottom of the sea, unyielding to current or reason. To Rusty, there was only one truth—Rusty’s truth. He viewed compromise as weakness, and empathy as a distraction from the harsh realities he believed everyone should face.
This rigidity often isolated him, even among those who shared his broader conservative worldview. And there was no theater that showcased Rusty’s obstinate nature better than politics. Current events, elections, the culture wars—these were the battlegrounds where the boulder of his beliefs settled heaviest. His approach to political debate, however, was never friendly. On fire, he charged into discussions with the same scorched-earth mindset that built his business, leaving little room for compromise. His conservative views, always expressed in a tasteless and offensive manner, made enemies of friends and family alike. Even his ex-wife, during their divorce hearing, described him as “half mule, half gorilla, and 100% FoxNews.”
And at the center of it all was his addiction to social media, where he vented his frustrations and doubled down on his resistance to the rapid social changes sweeping across America since 2020.
Did you miss the first exceprt? Check it out right here.
