Ann: A Story of Intolerance

Ann may have been a product of her times--she was certainly if possibly unwittingly a product of her grandmother Isabelle. While Ann may have been molded by external forces Isabelle was a force unto herself--a pacesetter an indomitable woman of her times. Isabelle forged avenues that were often not taken by women of her day even foreshadowing changes in perception that were still years away. Yet in spite of her often avant-garde actions her prejudices were unwavering and largely myopic. While Isabelles single-mindedness was mimicked even magnified by her granddaughter Ann would never acknowledge that she was her grandmothers facsimile. She believed she was her own woman and headed to the top. Ann was a manipulator and a schemer. Sadly Ann left very little good in her wake. The lives of Ann and Isabelle touched many; dragging some under pushing others aside and overpowering those close to them. Their lives served as textbook cases of bigotry and discrimination that are warnings that tolerance and acceptance are key to our social fabric. Ann: A Story of Intolerance is an intriguing tale about how individual and family biases are developed and passed on. John Moehl cleverly weaves historical background into family traditions and adventures allowing time to germinate a set of personal prejudices about race and culture. Get an inside view of the family dynamics spanning three generations to see how history was viewed interpreted and passed on. Was this an insidious recipe for murder? Enjoy a provocative read. --Marie E. Peterson family friend and retired community educator John Moehl was born in a small sawmill town in eastern Oregon leaving the Pacific Northwest for the savannahs of Africa--starting as a Peace Corps volunteer and finishing nearly four decades later as a senior United Nations officer. Since his formal retirement and return to Oregon he has devoted his time to writing about the people and places he has known the experiences he has encountered with the diverse array of individuals with whom he has shared the road.