Summary

NORTHERN MOON is a novel of historical fiction based on facts and research. During the 1930s, some farmers of western Wisconsin lost farms to foreclosure after the crash of '29. In desperation some invented a new harvest crop called moonshine, which produced more cash than most had seen since World War I. They cooked moonshine, packaged it, hid it, delivered it, and attempted to outsmart the feds, who came into their regions in teams to put them out of business and into jail. Instead of focusing on the cliche of gangsters v.s. federal agents, Northern Moon depicts the exciting story of Prohibition's impact on farmers, families, parents, children, and neighbors all learning to practice dishonesty motivated by need. Prohibition created opportunity on both sides of the law, which was capitalized on by both honest and corrupt, officers, politicians, and criminal syndicates who made moonshine the growth fertilizer of an enormous crop of money. Northern Moon explores the consequences of decisions people made during Prohibition years and demonstrates behavior of, both those who produced moonshine and those whose task was to stop it before it reached the lips of those who drank it. It was a time of major corruption in politics and law enforcement.An important period of history that occurred because of inappropriate laws which after years of futile enforcement, imprisonment of violators and costly mistakes, were finally repealed. Northern Moon, mirror-like, reflects today's dilemma of, whether the U.S. might be better off legalizing and taxing some drugs, rather than continuing a costly and unending war on them.