Tragic Mind

Some books emerge from a lifetime of hard-won knowledge. Robert D. Kaplan has learned, from a career spent reporting on wars, revolutions, and international politics in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia, that the essence of geopolitics is tragedy. In The Tragic Mind, he employs the works of ancient Greek dramatists, Shakespeare, German philosophers, and the modern classics to explore the central subjects of international politics: order, disorder, rebellion, ambition, loyalty to family and state, violence, and the mistakes of power.

Kaine Reynolds wants nothing more than solitude. After an unthinkable tragedy destroys his family, he's cut off all ties to his former life, so he can battle his grief the only way he knows how. Alone. So when Piper Campbell knocks on his door, rambling on about being his new neighbor, he slams the door in her face. But Kaine's gruff demeanor doesn't scare her. She's set on living in Montana and starting over after a terrible divorce. And she wouldn't mind having a fling to chase away the pain of her husband's betrayal. Her handsome, albeit rude, neighbor is the perfect candidate.

Usually when you find out you have a stalker, you don’t fall in love with him. But Banger Olivia Crest isn’t your normal, run-of-the-mill, everyday girl. Banger is a truck driver who just so happens to know how to sling drinks in her spare time. She’s had a bad hand dealt to her time after time, and the last thing that she wants is to go all in. At least, that’s until she meets the geeky biker with his shy looks and his surprisingly awesome fighting skills.

Tragedy is one of the greatest challenges to resilience, and the ability to be resilient is a defining characteristic of a hero. In these two short tales, author Michael Haase takes a concise and focused magnifying glass as two different heroes face ultimate tragedies in their lives. Two different types of resilience are explored, and both ask the listener to consider their own choices in the face of tragedy.