Leaving New Madrid

New Madrid, Missouri, a southeast Missouri rural town on the Mississippi River endured devastating earthquakes in 1811 and 1812. A fictitious earthquake sets the stage for a reunion for long-time friends who grew up there in the mid-50s and 70s. This reunion brings about a renewal of friendship and telling experiences of the childhood, both humorous and serious. Conversations about the current social and political issues facing the country reveal wide divergences of opinions as to "how to deal with them now." Racism rears its ugly head near the end of their reunion weekend with surprising results.

A retired Shell Oil Company Public Affairs Manager, this is Gene Munger’s third book in the last five years. In 2009. his first, ＂Momma, Don’t Ya Want Me To Learn Nothin?,＂ a memoir that captured his early life in southeast Missouri in the 40s and 50s In 2011, he wrote ＂The Elegant Mentor,＂ a book of fiction about a retired school principal who re-unites and bonds with his former high school English teacher and begins a writing career. The third Book, ＂Leaving New Madrid,＂ and hopefully not his last, continues to nurture his passion for writing. He and his wife, Molly, live in Flagstaff, Arizona where both are active volunteers in a myriad of non-profit entities.