You may have heard of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and wondered if America could ever truly become Gilead. Anna & The American Puzzle imagines another version of a near-future America where a surprising combination of wealthy, religious, and social media derived power structures join forces to form a political party that wins the Presidency. As the new regime reshapes the country into a high-tech surveillance state, the free and open use of technology by most citizens is outlawed.

Anna’s diary of how her life unfolds as part of the working poor in this “new America” reveals a story of limited choices, and shows how having limited choices makes her an easy mark. Her encounters with the elements of power that control the country result in an accidental opportunity for her to work in the White House. The perks of working for the rich and powerful provide Anna with the chance to live a material life far beyond what she could have attained given her lack of birthright.

But, when she learns during her work at the White House that huge swaths of American children are being sent away to military training camps when their parents can’t afford to care for them, Anna has to decide how she will reconcile her past and her present. How much of a price is Anna willing to pay to be an outsider admitted to the inner sanctum of wealth and power?

Anna & The American Puzzle makes us think about how the pieces of American culture fit together and consider if it is possible for Anna’s story, and the American story, to end differently.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.