Rogues in a Nation

One family's buried history could rewrite the story of American patriotism.

When therapist Val Lisowski returns to her childhood home in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 2011, she's expecting a quiet visit. But what begins as a simple stop to check on family and work unravels into a gripping discovery of long-buried secrets--political, personal, and deeply haunting.

As Val uncovers the truth about her father Herb's post-WWII entanglements with Joe McCarthy's inner circle, a multigenerational saga unfolds. From Cold War paranoia and blacklists to union-busting and Indigenous erasure, Rogues in a Nation braids together family loyalty, moral compromise, and the enduring consequences of silence. Told across decades--from the muskrat-trapping, beer-brewing shadows of 1950s Wisconsin to the protest-filled streets of Madison in 2011--this powerful novel dares to ask what patriotism really means, and whether truth can survive generations of denial.

Sweeping, suspenseful, and richly layered, Rogues in a Nation is a timely reckoning with the past--and a reminder that even the smallest voices can challenge the biggest lies.