Aaron Miller

The housing crisis and economic recession forces a college student who lost his student loans to move back home with his dysfunctional relatives.

There was a time when peace appeared to be just within reach. What went so horribly wrong? The Human Factor is the behind-the-scenes story of the Israeli-Arab peace process told from a unique perspective: that of the American mediators – the peacemakers who shuttled between Middle East capitals, spending hours with the region’s political heavyweights - prime ministers, generals, ex-terrorists, diplomats, dictators and presidents, the people that gained intimate knowledge of the individuals and stories which dominated daily news around the world. The negotiators speak candidly about their experiences. Rich and exposing portraits of world leaders are portrayed as we learn what went on behind closed doors in meetings between U.S. presidents, Israeli, Palestinian, and Syrian leaders. What we observe, for the first time, are first-hand impressions of events that shook the world – not from the perspectives of the conflicting parties involved, or that of politicians who care about their legacy, but from senior civil servants, the negotiators. It is their function to observe, relate, maintain neutrality, and convince both sides of the pressing necessity to resolve decades of brutal violence and turmoil. Today, the need to learn from past mistakes couldn’t be more urgent.

John Christner returns from war to find that he has been shunned by his Amish family and friends for violating their beliefs. But when a mysterious plague threatens the community, John may be their only hope for survival.