Charlotte's War

J. Lawrence Graham

This epic novel follows one extraordinary American woman as she grieves and triumphs through the horrific realities of three wars that threaten the men she loves.

Charlotte Fletcher is in the fight of her life to save her firstborn son from facing a truth she knows all too well—the dreadful impact of war. First, she watched her own brother suffer the destructive consequences of youthful bravado in WWII. Then, she waved goodbye to her husband, a decorated hero, who sailed into harm’s way a second time in the Korean conflict. Now, with her son headed to Vietnam, Charlotte is using all the arrows in her quiver to stop the conflict.

As Charlotte weaves through major world events, her remarkable will and intelligence position her to offer key insights to leaders negotiating peace in Vietnam. After being raised in China by missionary parents, Charlotte completed her studies at Radcliffe and Harvard and received a Berkeley PhD in anthropology, giving her unique expertise to persuade the renowned decision makers she encounters.

The formidable connections Charlotte forges over the years—including visionaries such as JFK, two U.S. Secretaries of State, and even Ho Chi Minh—culminate in a surprising and captivating convergence of personalities, power, and politics.

J . LAWRENCE GRAHAM has a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught courses in behavioral sciences at both the University of Southern California and, most recently, at UC Irvine, where he is a professor emeritus. He has published eight other books, both fiction and nonfiction. Lawrence is also an award-winning photographer who has exhibited his work at the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach and at other locations in Southern California.

The diversity of J. Lawrence Graham’s professional experiences has yielded Charlotte’s War. His scholarship on the topic of international negotiations is unparalleled (Berkeley PhD, four books for executives, and scores of academic articles). He has consulted for global organizations such as Ford, Mitsubishi, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Graham also served as an officer in the UDT/SEAL teams for nine years.