Endangered Edens

Endangered Edens
Author: Marty Essen
Publisher: Encante Press, LLC
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2021-08-06
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0977859916
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◆ Winner of four national awards! Features 180 stunning color photographs. Endangered Edens is the long-awaited follow-up to Marty Essen’s six-time award-winning book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. Whether traveling with Marty and his wife, Deb, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, or going solo with Marty in the Everglades, readers will experience nature’s Endangered Edens in a way few others have—all while laughing and learning along the way. In addition to Marty’s entertaining stories, Endangered Edens also features more than 180 stunning color pictures—merging the genres of wildlife photography, adventure travelogues, and environmental education into one unforgettable book. ◆ Winner: National Indie Excellence Award in Nature ◆ Winner: Readers’ Favorite Book Award in Environment ◆ Winner: Silver Nautilus Award for Animals & Nature ◆ Winner: Silver Nautilus Award for Middle Grades Non-Fiction Reviews “Join photographer extraordinaire Marty Essen and his intrepid wife Deb on their adventures through four Endangered Edens. You’ll be treated to funny stories, unforgettable characters, and striking images. But most of all, you’ll come away with new appreciation for special places, and their wild inhabitants, under threat today. May this book inspire its readers to protect them!”—Sy Montgomery, author, The Soul of an Octopus “A magical, fun journey through some of the world’s hidden and not so hidden Edens, as seen through the eyes of a true wildlife aficionado and author whose writing makes the pages come alive and vibrate with the sound and pulse of nature. A book that once started is impossible to put down.”—Dr. M. Sanjayan, senior scientist at Conservation International and television host “Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico is impressively informative and a lot of fun. Ideal for the armchair traveler and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections.”—Midwest Book Review “I highly recommend that everyone join author Marty Essen and his wife, Deb, as they explore our planets’ Endangered Edens. After reading about these last great wild places, you will surely be tempted to visit them and more importantly protect them for future generations to enjoy.”—Cindy Shogan, executive director, Alaska Wilderness League

Hits, Heathens, and Hippos

Hits, Heathens, and Hippos
Author: Marty Essen
Publisher: Encante Press, LLC
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2021-08-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1734430338
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★ “A thoroughly absorbing and inherently fascinating account of a most unusual life lived out in a series of equally unusual circumstances.”—Midwest Book Review ★ Everyone has dreams of what they want to accomplish in life. Marty Essen’s childhood dream of becoming a herpetologist gave way to his dream of becoming a popular DJ, which led to his dream of becoming a big-time talent manager, which morphed into the dream of becoming an in-demand author and college speaker. While he achieved most of his dreams at various levels, he also realized that he didn’t necessarily have to reach the top to find success or happiness. Sometimes “almost” is close enough. Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer is a humorous and inspirational memoir that explores relationships and careers and how seemingly minor events can lead to life-changing results. Compelling stories have filled Marty’s life, and he tells those stories in a conversational style that combines his talents as an award-winning author with his talents as the creator of a one-man stage show that he has performed at hundreds of colleges across the United States. This is a must-read for anyone faced with an unexpected career change, worried about finding and keeping the partner of their dreams, forced to take on bullies (whether individual, political, or corporate), eager for ideas to make life more satisfying, or just in search of a fun-filled adventure. Marty’s stories include: ◆ Growing up with an over-the-top, born-again Christian father, who prayed aloud in restaurants, thought Satan possessed his Masonic lodge watch, and attempted to faith-heal his old Toyota. ◆ Becoming the youngest disc jockey in Minnesota history, where he survived an on-air attack from a jealous DJ and learned that rock ’n’ roll and country radio stations have vastly different groupies. ◆ Running multiple music talent agencies and becoming one of the top young talent managers in America. ◆ Telling the best lie ever to reel in and marry an amazing woman that the media would later dub as his “intrepid wife.” ◆ Moving to Montana, where he founded one of the state’s fastest growing independent telephone companies and an unusual baseball league with pro-prospects and out-of-control players. ◆ Surviving as an outspoken liberal in the most conservative region of Montana and dealing with the death threats and dirty tricks that came with it. ◆ Heartwarming and humorous stories from his relationships with musicians, governors, senators, and a very special Democratic nominee for President of the United States. ◆ Traveling to all seven continents in search of rare and interesting wildlife, backpacking with a tribe known for headhunting, and surviving a vicious hippo attack. Be inspired, intrigued, and entertained! ★ Reviews: ◆ "Hits, Heathens, and Hippos proves life is mostly luck and a little timing with many laughs along the way. Marty Essen has demonstrated that life is what you do while you decide what you are going to be when you grow up. This is a great book about a life of ventures, friends and a few lessons about winning and losing."--Governor Brian Schweitzer (Democrat, Montana 2005-2013) ◆ "What I like about this book is the personal style Essen writes with. You really get a sense of his personality, sense of humor, and the way he thinks. It's a fun, clever way of discussing the world of work and relationships, more memoir than self-help, yet the advice is there, dramatized. His talent for storytelling gives you the feeling you're in an audience, listening to him. You'll find yourself amused, shocked, and touched. One of the best stories is about the hippo attack, but you'll have to read the book to get the details. For an entertaining read that would make a great movie or documentary, pick up your copy of Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer by Marty Essen."--Tammy Ruggles for Readers' Favorite Book Reviews ◆ "A thoroughly absorbing and inherently fascinating account of a most unusual life lived out in a series of equally unusual circumstances."--Midwest Book Review ◆ "Marty Essen's latest book, Hits, Heathens, and Hippos--which includes a funny story from my days working with his talent agency--really drew me in. His descriptions of our old Minneapolis stomping grounds, and our mutual hometown of Duluth, brought back a lot of forgotten memories, and it was a pleasure to delve into his recollections through his colorful storytelling. Even if you're not in the music business, Marty's stories will fascinate you!"--Phil Solem, The Rembrandts ◆ "These days it's imperative to be reminded that one's dreams can still be made manifest through a combination of fortitude, aptitude, and a good-humored willingness to fail miserably. Marty Essen's aptly titled new book, Hits, Heathens, and Hippos is a glorious romp through the pathos, triumph, and sheer absurdity of a small scale rock and roll universe, one that nonetheless, has all the trimmings of the big one."--Peter Himmelman, musician ◆ "Marty Essen's book, Hits, Heathens and Hippos, takes you on a comedy journey that never ends. It's a wicked funny ride. And I know funny."--Karen Pickering, comedian ◆ "Renaissance man Marty Essen takes us on a journey through his life's many adventures in Hits, Heathens, and Hippos. From his days working in radio as Minnesota's youngest DJ, to his time as agent/manager in the music world, his ownership of an amateur baseball league (yes, baseball league) and telecommunications company, world traveler, award winning nature author, progressive political activist (in rural Montana!), and public speaker; Hits, Heathens, and Hippos is entertaining, funny, and evocative. Oh, and tell Deb, her Fairchild backdrop is in my garage waiting for the reunion tour to be booked by Marty."--Brian Kinney, Fairchild ◆ "With thought-provoking explorations into making peace with family members who adhere to differing religious values, tales of his time as a talent agent, and escapades with gigantic rainforest monitor lizards--there is much to enjoy in Marty Essen's memoir Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer."--a 4/5 starred IndieReader-Approved title, reviewed by C.S. Holmes

Wild Edens

Wild Edens
Author: Joseph James Shomon
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Total Pages: 204
Release: 1998
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780890968017
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Africa's great game parks house thousands of the world's most incredible wildlife, including the elephant, rhino, zebra, and gorilla, but along with this beauty comes a desperate struggle for existence. This living legacy faces the possibility of becoming extinct because of ignorance and apathy. In Wild Edens: Africa's Premier Game Parks and Their Wildlife, longtime conservationist and seasoned African travelerJoseph James Shomon journeys through the wild African scene, revealing its magnificence and mystique, and wonderfully describes the game parks' location, ecology, and irreplaceable wildlife. From the summit of Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, the author surveys the marvelous Edens of East Africa, among the last Pleistocene-like concentrations of animals left in the world today. Descending, Shomon gives a firsthand account of the great sanctuaries, providing a knowledgeable escort on safari in the scrublands of Tsavo, where elephants are imperiled. He continues on to the Ark at Aberdares, where visitors can watch, under floodlights of a watchtower, rain forest animals come to feed; to the rain forests of Mount Kenya; and to the Serengeti and Mara Plains, with their great migrating herds besieged by predators and thwarted in their journeys by swollen rivers and flooded lakes. The journey continues through the Great Rift Valley and Olduvai Gorge to Lake Manyara with its tree-climbing lions; Ngorongoro Crater; Samburu and Meru, where the rhino is threatened; the waterways of Uganda; the Mountains of the Moon; the Kalahari Desert; and the wildlife sanctuaries of South Africa, ending the tour at the Cape of Good Hope. Shomon argues that the plethora of impersonal technology and excessive mechanization, as well as the world's focus on violence, social ills, and discord on our domestic front, consume the world's energies, leaving little interest for safeguarding and conserving Africa's wild edens. Shomon's engaging and informative text, complemented with attractive photographs and pen-and-ink drawings, encourages those interested in Africa and its wildlife to visit the cradle of our ancestral beginnings and to take an active role in its preservation and conservation.

Vicious

Vicious
Author: Jon T. Coleman
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2008-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300133375
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Over a continent and three centuries, American livestock owners destroyed wolves to protect the beasts that supplied them with food, clothing, mobility, and wealth. The brutality of the campaign soon exceeded wolves’ misdeeds. Wolves menaced property, not people, but storytellers often depicted the animals as ravenous threats to human safety. Subjects of nightmares and legends, wolves fell prey not only to Americans’ thirst for land and resources but also to their deeper anxieties about the untamed frontier. Now Americans study and protect wolves and jail hunters who shoot them without authorization. Wolves have become the poster beasts of the great American wilderness, and the federal government has paid millions of dollars to reintroduce them to scenic habitats like Yellowstone National Park. Why did Americans hate wolves for centuries? And, given the ferocity of this loathing, why are Americans now so protective of the animals? In this ambitious history of wolves in America—and of the humans who have hated and then loved them—Jon Coleman investigates a fraught relationship between two species and uncovers striking similarities, deadly differences, and, all too frequently, tragic misunderstanding.

Time Is Irreverent

Time Is Irreverent
Author: Marty Essen
Publisher: Encante Press, LLC
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2018-02-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:
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◆ An Irreverent, Liberal, Twisty, Time Travel Comedy! What if you could make a change to history that would eliminate the Spanish Inquisition, American slavery, World War II, global warming, and an egomaniacal US president who thought he was smart enough to drop nuclear bombs here and there without negative consequences? What if that change also made the United States and 5 billion people poof from existence? Would you do it? When alien time travel specialists, the Krichards, learn of President Handley's game of dodge the mushroom cloud, they race to Earth to investigate. For them, the question of whether it's worth it to change history is easy to answer, but they will only proceed if the human they deem best qualified to represent Earth agrees to make the change. Erasing Handley's nuclear annihilation will require a quick jump to AD 31 to correct an error in history. If the Krichards select a brilliant scientist or an elite athlete for the task, Earth may be in good hands. Instead they select Marty Mann, a mildly successful travel writer whose only superpower is not taking life too seriously. What could possibly go wrong? Spanning from the Cretaceous period to 2056, Time Is Irreverent is a hilarious, thought-provoking satire, with unpredictable twists, colorful aliens, huge dinosaurs, a smokin' hot lesbian from the future, and a cameo from Jesus Christ himself! Reviews: “Highly recommend. It’s fun, clever, cool, witty, surprising, political, sexy, everything a sci-fi book should be. And as someone who’s also written a sci-fi-time-travel-humor novel, I love that Marty Essen doesn’t break the time rules he sets up from the start—so many sci-fi authors do, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s just lazy writing. Not the case here! Yes, his characters learn and adapt and grow, but the foundation of his rules remain intact always. To repeat: fun, witty, surprising, sexy. Highly recommend.” —Jeff Abugov, writer, producer, director “Time Is Irreverent is a delightful romp that scores solid satirical points about religion, human nature, sex, the Trump administration, and a great deal more.”—Tom Flynn, editor, Free Inquiry magazine “Ironic, original, hysterically funny, deftly crafted, and an impressively entertaining read from first page to last, Time Is Irreverent by Marty Essen is an especially and unreserved recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans that Time Is Irreverent is also available in a digital book format.”—Midwest Book Review “Time Is Irreverent is a well-written, well-paced novel peopled with solid, likeable characters. Marty Essen is a talented author who has managed to wrap several complex threads into a light, enjoyable narrative. I hope he will continue writing in the sci-fi genre and I look forward eagerly to his future works.”—Charles Remington, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews Publisher's Warning: This book is intended for a liberal audience and features satirical content that may not be appropriate for Donald Trump supporters or those who are offended by views that challenge traditional religious beliefs. Common side effects include wide smiles, sudden laughter, and occasional snorts. Reader discretion is advised.

Critical Approaches to Science and Religion

Critical Approaches to Science and Religion
Author: Myrna Perez Sheldon
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 637
Release: 2023-03-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0231556543
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Critical Approaches to Science and Religion offers a new direction for scholarship on science and religion that examines social, political, and ecological concerns long part of the field but never properly centered. The works that make up this volume are not preoccupied with traditional philosophical or theological issues. Instead, the book draws on three vital schools of thought: critical race theory, feminist and queer theory, and postcolonial theory. Featuring a diverse array of contributors, it develops critical perspectives by examining how histories of empire, slavery, colonialism, and patriarchy have shaped the many relationships between science and religion in the modern era. In so doing, this book lays the groundwork for scholars interested in speaking directly to matters such as climate change, structural racism, immigration, health care, reproductive justice, and sexual identity.

Rethinking Climate Change, Conflict and Security

Rethinking Climate Change, Conflict and Security
Author: Jan Selby
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2017-10-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317426509
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Is global climate change likely to become a significant source of violent conflict, and should it therefore be seen as a national security challenge? Most Northern governments, militaries, think tanks and NGOs believe so, as do many academic researchers, on the grounds that increased temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and rising sea levels will worsen existing social stresses, especially within poor societies and marginal communities across Africa and Asia. This book argues otherwise. The first collection of its kind, it brings together leading scholars of Anthropology, Geography, Development Studies and International Relations to provide a series of critical analyses of mainstream thinking on the climate-security nexus. It shows how policy discourse on climate conflict consistently misrepresents the causes of violence, especially by obscuring its core political dimensions. It demonstrates that quantitative research provides a flawed basis for understanding climate-conflict linkages. It argues that climate security discourse is in hoc with a range of questionable military, authoritarian and developmental agendas. And it reveals that the greening of global capitalism is already having violent consequences across the global South. Climate change, the book argues, does indeed have serious conflict and security implications – but these are quite different from how they are usually imagined. This book was published as a special issue of Geopolitics.

Time Is Irreverent 3: Gone for 16 Seconds

Time Is Irreverent 3: Gone for 16 Seconds
Author: Marty Essen
Publisher: Encante Press, LLC
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2020-03-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:
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◆ Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon are back for another irreverent, liberal, twisty, time travel comedy! This time they have Noah’s Ark and Ronald Reagan in their sights. Where would you go on a time travel vacation? At the conclusion of their last episode, Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon were on Starship Blue, about to depart for the planet Krichardia, some forty light-years away. Knowing that they would likely never return to Earth again, their Krichard lovers, Chrissie and Tina, arranged for them to abscond with the Chromosphere Cruiser for up to twenty seconds. During that time, Marty and Nellie could do whatever they wanted as a way to say goodbye to Earth. Days, weeks, or even months might pass for them, but as long as their final time jump delivered them back into Starship Blue’s cruiser bay within twenty seconds of their departure, Captain Jagger and the rest of the Krichard crew would never know they were gone. In this episode, our snarky heroes embark on that time travel vacation. Those trips will hurl them into an enlightening adventure that spans from 3000 BC to AD 10,000. They’ll discover the truth behind Noah’s Ark, encounter the Cult of the Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie, pilfer a bass from a young Geddy Lee, and be taken prisoner by people in the future with just one demand: Kill Ronald Reagan! Time Is Irreverent 3: Gone for 16 Seconds is a hilarious, thought-provoking satire with unpredictable twists, an unconventional Jesus, an unwitting Ronald Reagan, and an unabashed look at Earth’s past and future! Publisher’s Warning: This book is intended for a liberal audience and features satirical content that may not be appropriate for Donald Trump supporters or those who are offended by views that challenge traditional religious beliefs. Common side effects include wide smiles, sudden laughter, and occasional snorts. Reader discretion is advised. This is the third book in the Time Is Irreverent series. Each novel is a stand-alone adventure, and a humorous prologue quickly gets readers up-to-date.

Time Is Irreverent: Ooh, It’s a Trilogy! (Books 1-3)

Time Is Irreverent: Ooh, It’s a Trilogy! (Books 1-3)
Author: Marty Essen
Publisher: Encante Press, LLC
Total Pages: 699
Release: 2021-01-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:
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◆ Is it the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? No! It’s the Marty Mann, the Liberal Jesus, and the Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie! Ooh, It’s a Trilogy! Here’s what people have said about the books in this hilarious, irreverent, series: ◆ Praise for Time Is Irreverent “Highly recommend. It’s fun, clever, cool, witty, surprising, political, sexy, everything a sci-fi book should be. And as someone who’s also written a sci-fi-time-travel-humor novel, I love that Marty Essen doesn’t break the time rules he sets up from the start—so many sci-fi authors do, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s just lazy writing. Not the case here! Yes, his characters learn and adapt and grow, but the foundation of his rules remain intact always. To repeat: fun, witty, surprising, sexy. Highly recommend.” —Jeff Abugov, writer, producer, director “Time Is Irreverent is a delightful romp that scores solid satirical points about religion, human nature, sex, the Trump administration, and a great deal more.”—Tom Flynn, editor, Free Inquiry magazine “Ironic, original, hysterically funny, deftly crafted, and an impressively entertaining read from first page to last, Time Is Irreverent by Marty Essen is an especially and unreserved recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans that Time Is Irreverent is also available in a digital book format.”—Midwest Book Review “Time Is Irreverent is a well-written, well-paced novel peopled with solid, likeable characters. Marty Essen is a talented author who has managed to wrap several complex threads into a light, enjoyable narrative. I hope he will continue writing in the sci-fi genre and I look forward eagerly to his future works.”—Charles Remington, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews ◆ Praise for Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again! “Time Is Irreverent 2 is a madcap blasphemous comedy of the most delightful sort. Recommended for those whose tastes incline that way; if you loved Time Is Irreverent, run, don’t walk, to consume this perfect sequel.”—Tom Flynn, editor, Free Inquiry magazine “An excellent follow-up to the original, and this from someone who typically hates sequels! All the same great characters and more, plus Jesus—although not your mama’s Jesus. The funny is funnier, the crazy crazier, and the politics even more in your face (in the good way!). If you loved the first, you’ve got to read the second. Well done, Marty!”—Jeff Abugov, writer, producer, director “For those aficionados of entertaining, optimistic sci-fi, who have been avidly waiting for another Time Is Irreverent adventure—your wait is over. Marty Essen has produced a fine follow-up to his first time traveling escapade and I hope that the likeable characters he has created will get many future outings. A great addition to a currently gloomy, pessimistic genre. I do not hesitate to recommend it.”—Charles Remington, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews Publisher's Warning: This book is intended for a liberal audience and features satirical content that may not be appropriate for Donald Trump supporters or those who are offended by views that challenge traditional religious beliefs. Common side effects include wide smiles, sudden laughter, and occasional snorts. Reader discretion is advised.

Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again!

Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again!
Author: Marty Essen
Publisher: Encante Press, LLC
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2019-02-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:
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◆ Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon are back for another irreverent, liberal, twisty, time-travel comedy! This time they have Jesus Christ, the actual guy, on their side. The timeline correction Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon accomplished in their first episode was successful. . . . Or was it? When the two humans and their Krichard friends, Chrissie and Tina, return to year 2020 Earth to verify the change, they find an advanced, peaceful planet. The four friends move into Marty’s new timeline home and the next morning head out for a flying car tour of Oodlelakeolis. The city, which was Minneapolis in the previous timeline, is beautiful from the air, but when they swoop down to land, the Colorless Ones, a cult of religious extremists from the planet Krichardia, reverse the timeline change and abduct Chrissie and Tina. Instantly, President Handley is back to dropping nuclear bombs, and once again, Marty and Nellie must find a way to stop him. After our heroes gain possession of the Krichards’ time-traveling Chromosphere Cruiser, they return to AD 31 with plans to restore the advanced timeline by wowing the locals with the Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie act. Unfortunately, an unexpected event forces them to return to the year 2020, but they have a stowaway—Jesus Christ! Can Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon save the world and rescue Tina and Chrissie with snark being their only superpower? Can a dark-skinned Jesus with a fondness for profanity and a disdain for religious hypocrisy thrive in the twenty-first century? And who are the Soldiers of the White Jesus, and what will they have to do with any of this? These questions and more will be answered in this unforgettable episode. Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again! is a hilarious, thought-provoking satire with unpredictable twists, colorful and colorless aliens, the outrageous Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie, and a juicy role for Jesus Christ, the actual guy! Reviews: “Time Is Irreverent 2 is a madcap blasphemous comedy of the most delightful sort. Recommended for those whose tastes incline that way; if you loved Time Is Irreverent, run, don’t walk, to consume this perfect sequel.”—Tom Flynn, editor, Free Inquiry magazine “An excellent follow-up to the original, and this from someone who typically hates sequels! All the same great characters and more, plus Jesus—although not your mama’s Jesus. The funny is funnier, the crazy crazier, and the politics even more in your face (in the good way!). If you loved the first, you’ve got to read the second. Well done, Marty!”—Jeff Abugov, writer, producer, director “For those aficionados of entertaining, optimistic sci-fi, who have been avidly waiting for another Time Is Irreverent adventure—your wait is over. Marty Essen has produced a fine follow-up to his first time traveling escapade and I hope that the likeable characters he has created will get many future outings. A great addition to a currently gloomy, pessimistic genre. I do not hesitate to recommend it.”—Charles Remington, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews Publisher's Warning: This book is intended for a liberal audience and features satirical content that may not be appropriate for Donald Trump supporters or those who are offended by views that challenge traditional religious beliefs. Common side effects include wide smiles, sudden laughter, and occasional snorts. Reader discretion is advised. This is the second book in the Time Is Irreverent series. Each novel is a stand-alone adventure, and a humorous prologue quickly gets readers up-to-date.