The Protest Diaries

 

Quite how I managed to get a story into this anthology, I'm not sure.  To begin with, I didn't submit a story to it. 

I did however submit two stories to 'Alternative War,'  which appeared some months ago. Since the longer of those two stories, AWOL, made it into that volume, it may be that the shorter one was transferred in this direction.  Or not.

Anyway,  'Interrogation for Beginners' is a story I like, and I hope you will like it too.  As the title suggests, it concerns a veteran interrogator who has to take time out of his regular business to interview a new recruit who is still very wet behind the ears. I hope this inevitable culture clash may contain a few useful thoughts.

Protest is often about culture clashes. Sometimes we tend to support the protesters and sometimes our sympathies lie with the authorities.  The point, in the case of this story, is that both the veteran and the recruit are on the same side; they just come from generations that differ over both ideals and methodology.  

Can we achieve desirable change without fragmenting society?  Eliminate the bad without destroying the good?  Are youthful ideas best, or do they need tempering by the wisdom of age?

These are among the things that I hope we may be inspired to think about.