Unsheltered

Unsheltered takes place in the community of Vineland, New Jersey, and follows two parallel timelines, one set in the 19th century and the other set in the 21st century. In the 19th century utopian community of Vineland, science teacher Thatcher Greenwood faces pushback from school principal Professor Cutler and town founder Landis for trying to teach Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Because Darwinism challenges previously held views about human supremacy over God’s creation, many…

Unsheltered uses the backdrop of Darwin’s groundbreaking theory of evolution to examine humanity’s need to adapt to a changing, modern world. In the book’s 19th-century timeline, in the public forum organized by Professor Cutler and Captain Landis, Thatcher Greenwood defends Darwin’s theory by showing that it supports the notion that survival is not random but shaped by personal agency. In other words, the ability to evolve and adapt according to one’s circumstances directly…

Unsheltered explores the effects of greed and unchecked consumerism on many aspects of human life. In the new community of Vineland, New Jersey in the 1870s, real-estate developer Captain Charles Landis touts his vision of utopia in order to lure people into his sphere of influence. Once people have settled there, Landis subjects residents to his own tyrannical vision of morality and exploits lower class laborers for his own gain. Landis’s greed goes unchecked in…

Unsheltered presents the reader with two different storylines that connect characters living in the same house across centuries. This dichotomy goes beyond uniting the narratives of Thatcher Greenwood in the 19th century and Willa Knox in the story’s present—it also points to the universality of human experiences and the significance of human connection. Despite living in completely separate time periods, Thatcher and Willa confront similar issues, including greed, and deteriorating structural and familial foundations. By…