The Org
What's It About?
“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.” — Martin Luther KingThe Org is set in the near future — a future of a global climate crisis, in which food, water and other resources are scarce, extreme weather is destructive, panic is on the rise and political tensions are becoming increasingly violent. When Org member and activist Marianne Wolfe is violently murdered in her New York City apartment, her ex-boyfriend James Roth and journalist Walt Jones, both also Org members, team up to find the responsible party. The past is complicated, and hidden relationships and secrets must be discovered as James and Walt uncover the dirty truths.
Also called the ECOParty, The Org is a political group of climate activists who want to see change in the current corrupt administration under President Pine. The Org’s leader, Lee Beloit, is passionate about the cause, which he promotes using aggression and extreme tactics to achieve the end goal of peace. He tells his followers, “we already see small conflicts and wars over water and scarce resources in various parts of the world. I’m not saying our future is necessarily something out of Apocalypse Now or Lord of the Flies, but it could go like that more than we realize. That’s the point, isn’t it? That’s what we’re fighting to prevent.” The Org’s cause is understandable, but Lee Beloit’s character is more controversial.
Lee Beloit, also known as the Great Man, has a growing group of loyal, cultish followers, whom he originally recruited from college campuses. He has a powerful and charismatic personality, as well as “a way of making you feel special when he talks to you,” which draws people towards him and makes them want to follow him and impress him. However, Lee’s character is also unpredictable, eccentric, moody and often aggressive and offensive. It is soon discovered that he mistreats women and secretly sleeps with several female Org members, and even forces the women who work for him to have abortions so they can commit all their time to the Org. He proudly likens himself to Lenin, but today’s readers may liken him to a certain member of our current political administration … from the other side of the aisle, that is.
Nevertheless, Lee has transformed his party into a national movement, and soon announces that he will be running for President as the Democratic Party nominee, with climate change as his platform. When Lee makes an alliance with the people responsible for Marianne’s death, it has the potential to advance his political campaign exponentially. He will do anything to make sure that his secrets are never revealed and nothing can undermine his reputation or his campaign.
The protagonists in The Org are vulnerable and relatable, and a sprinkle of romance here and there adds depth to the characters and balances out the fast-paced action, suspense and dark tensions in the story. The Org is a timely read as the United States faces its next presidential election. Anyone who likes a good mystery story, or who is interested in politics and the drama behind the scenes, will find much to satisfy them in this debut novel by Scott Brody.
The Org is available for purchase. Learn more about Scott Brody on his BookTrib author profile page.
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