The New Populist Party, a novella, by William Trest Jr. introduces a third political party which shakes up modern-day politics in 2020 with the unprecedented election of a gorgeous, intellectual former news reporter turned political consultant named, Susan Crosby Wilson. Her historical presidential bid renders her new and third husband, Charles Wilson, the first man of the first female USA president and popularity around the world.
When the story unfolds, Charles Wilson, an ex-convict, has seized enough political will to get the Governor of Mississippi to restore his voting rights and becomes the spokesman of The New Populist Party. Wilson’s fiery rhetoric generates local buzz including the interest of Susan Crosby. He draws strength as a political historian and as a descendant of one of the small Mississippi farmers who founded the Populist Party in the 1890s. Despite his past, Charles is honest and pious, but quite gullible to matters of the heart.
Susan Crosby’s character evolves from the victim of both physical and verbal abuse by her first two husbands into an ambitious woman who reinvented herself into a powerful politician. Steve Jackson, a Floridian, who founded The New Populist Party, became Susan Wilson’s running mate. The candidates draw upon the resources of party loyalists and new enthusiasts and capture the hearts of voters. Some characters like Henry Evans and Betsy Ross - jump off the pages. Readers should relate to the flaws in American politics. In the end, Susan Crosby Wilson’s presidency moves politics to the center.
By Meredith Coleman McGee
