The Resistance Suite: Stories that Refuse to be Silenced by Gene Scott is a dark, highly-charged, and deeply spiritual collection of linked stories that examines how ordinary people can make a difference in a world designed to suppress and oppose them.

These stories examine both morality and resistance. A Cherokee Appalachian community that long ago fought their removal from their sacred lands now delves deep into their history, their spiritualism, and their innate relationship with nature to thwart large commercial mining developments that threaten not only the livelihood of the Native Americans but also their very lives.

Profit, national security, and progress are the keywords in their relentless search for precious rare earth metals and compounds.

A few dead Native Americans and destroyed villages are just a small price to pay.

The Resistance Suite is an incredibly powerful collection of stories that creates countless questions.

Gene Scott has tapped into a dilemma we are facing every day in our quest for the mighty dollar, power, and what we view as progress. Whether it be climate change, AI, or the need for more energy and development, there is a fine line between destroying the world we live in and progress at any cost.

I particularly loved the focus of the remaining stories on the deep, mystical, and powerful spirituality of the Native American people and the incredible connection they had to the land they roamed. It reminded me that all things, animate and inanimate, are possessed of a degree of intelligence and sentience.

The beauty of these stories is that they challenge readers to question some of the basic assumptions about the environment, truth, justice, humanity, and morality. It reminds us that we do have choices, and we can and should resist that which we know is wrong. Perhaps most importantly, it gives us hope that we can fight back, as long as we work collectively.

I loved this book and recommend that anyone who wonders about where the world is headed should read it. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite