McCallandia: A Utopian Novel

McCALLANDIA is a novel of alternate history that imagines how the world would have been different if Oregon's iconic governor, Tom McCall, had become president of the United States following Richard Nixon's resignation. For anyone who remembers the beacon of good government, common sense and environmental responsibility Oregon was in the late 1960s and 1970s, this is a look back that will stir yearning both for what was, and what could have been. Bill Hall does an exceptional job of capturing the tenor of the times that pushed Tom McCall and the Oregon Story into national prominence, and then projecting what could have happened had a few key events and decisions gone differently. Particularly well-crafted is the dialogue coming from McCall. Oregonians of the time who remember his distinct voice and deft way with words will have no difficulty imagining the governor making the comments attributed to him. Hall didn't merely research this book. In many ways, he lived it. His knowledge of Oregon politics, history and personalities is so extensive, so absolutely believable, it's almost as if he were in the same room with his characters as events unfold. His renderings - in particular, of McCall's mother Dorothy -- make us long to be part of that insider's circle in the era former Secretary of State Phil Keisling describes as, "Oregon's Camelot." And this isn't only politics. There are appearances by Ken Kesey, John Lennon and Steve Prefontaine. Hall even takes a stab at a piece on McCall as he imagines Hunter S. Thompson might have penned it for Rolling Stone magazine. For anyone who loves Oregon and history (real or imagined).