Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America

A massive chorus of German hymnals fills the Fenchester Auditorium, their booming “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles!” echoing off gilded balconies and stirring the crowd of three thousand. Young reporter Jeremy Robson watches the spectacle from the press box, noting the parade of civic leaders, businessmen, and visiting dignitaries who proudly parade the ideals of Deutschtung in this Mid‑western city. The scene is a vivid portrait of a community that has woven foreign tradition into its public life, even as the melodies hint at an uneasy pride.

Beneath the fervent music, Jeremy senses a subtle current of doubt among his colleagues, the occasional whispered critique of the imposed culture. As the program shifts entirely into German, the city’s outward unity begins to crack, exposing the fragile balance between loyalty to America and the allure of an imported identity. The journalist’s fresh assignment places him at the heart of this cultural crossroads, just as the world outside starts to darken with the rumblings of an approaching war.