"Spirit of Modern Times" is a fictional history that takes place in Pontiac, Michigan in May of 1861 just as the American Civil War is getting underway.

All of the characters in the story are actual people of record, including prominent families such as the McConnell's, the Thurber's, Draper's and Parke's—plus many more characters there to expand the narrative: a woman running her own dressmaking business; a newly arrived runaway slave establishing a new and entirely different life in the north; a teenage girl graduating from high school and planning now for the crucial social season to come; a college boy returned for the summer and preparing to enlist in the army.

All of these real people will lead the reader through a remarkable “micro-history” experience on a visit to a town as it was 160 years ago.

During his research for the book the author made extensive use of local museum materials and original photographs. The 400-page book he produced is replete with helpful maps, family charts, images, and newspaper advertisements to enhance the reader's understanding of the era. It illustrates a singular period in American history, a time when the early pioneering settlement of a town was coming to an end, giving way to the modernization of the industrial revolution with all of its profound impacts on social and community life.

"Spirit of Modern Times" is available purchase via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and similar internet-based vendors, in hardcover and paperback format.