Obama's 'Life of Julia' Campaign Ad Inspires A FORGOTTEN MAN
By: Christina Mancuso Dec. 17, 2013
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Dec. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ A new novel titled "A Forgotten Man" (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7LSF3Y) was published today exploring the life of a fictionalized woman named Julia who was the star of a controversial political ad by President Barack Obama's reelection campaign.
The ad (http://www.jpepperbryars.com/2013/11/lifeofjuliaad.html) contained a series of illustrations showing how government programs would help Julia and how conservative ideas would allegedly harm her during 12 years in her life, beginning at age 3 and ending at age 67.
The novel, by Alabama writer J. Pepper Bryars (http://www.jpepperbryars.com/), tells the rest of Julia's story, showing the complete impact of an increasingly large and powerful central government, and what really happens to Julia.
"Where the ad promotes only the good intentions of a large government and deep regulations, the novel reveals the true cost on the middle class," Bryars wrote in his syndicated newspaper column (http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/12/new_book_tells_what_happened_t.html) discussing the book's release.
When Obama's ad was shown, liberals hailed it as an example of how big government policies help everyone. Conservatives criticized it as an example of a bloated and ineffective government intruding into every aspect of our lives.
Rush Limbaugh said (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/05/03/cradle_to_grave_obamaism_slideshow_the_life_of_julia) that the ad was "a perfect illustration of liberal cradle-to-grave care for every citizen, with the government making every decision, making everything possible, and leaving nothing to chance."
In the ad, Julia is enrolled in a Head Start program when she's three years old. In the book, she's also enrolled in the program, but Bryars shows how environmental and health care regulations destroy her family's livelihood, leaving them destitute and dependant on government assistance.
Bryars said the character of Julia's father is a "forgotten man" in our society, a term coined by William Graham Sumner in 1883.
"Now who is the Forgotten Man? He is the simple, honest laborer, ready to earn his living by productive work," Sumner wrote in Harper's Weekly. "We pass him by because he is independent, self-supporting, and asks no favors. We do not remember him because he makes no clamor; but I appeal to you whether he is not the man who ought to be remembered first of all."
The series will have 12 books, one for each year of Julia's life depicted in the ad.
"A Forgotten Man" appears to be the first novel inspired by a political advertisement.
"A Forgotten Man" is available now on Amazon.com and all major online booksellers.
About the Author:
J. Pepper Bryars is an author and newspaper columnist in Alabama. His opinion column reaches more than 900,000 weekly readers of The Birmingham News, The Mobile Press-Register, The Huntsville Times and The Mississippi Press. It's also posted on AL.com (http://connect.al.com/user/jpepperbryars/posts.html), which has 4.5 million unique monthly visitors.
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