Unbelonging
By David J. Jepsen
Seattle, 1945. The war is ending-but for many, the hardest battles are just beginning.
In a city transformed by global conflict, four families struggle to find their place amid rising tensions, buried prejudice, and shifting identities. Victory overseas has brought hope, but at home, fear, suspicion, and inequality continue to shape everyday life.
A female defense worker, newly awakened to injustice, risks everything as she steps into the dangerous world of labor activism-threatening not only her future, but the safety of those she loves. A decorated Black war hero returns home expecting honor and opportunity, only to face a different kind of battlefield, where racism and exclusion deny him the freedoms he fought to defend. A Japanese American, released from internment, discovers that the end of war does not mean the end of hatred, and that rebuilding a life in a community that no longer trusts him may be the greatest challenge of all. A hopeful British war bride arrives chasing the promise of a new beginning, only to learn that the American dream is complicated, fragile, and not equally shared.
As labor strikes ripple through the city, racial tensions simmer, and the first shadows of Cold War hysteria begin to take hold, Seattle reveals itself as a place both beautiful and deeply divided. Old prejudices harden even as new voices rise, demanding change.
This powerful, emotionally charged novel strips away the myth of an open and enlightened city, exposing the human cost of exclusion and the quiet courage of those who refuse to accept it.
A sweeping story of resilience, identity, and the search for belonging-welcome to the City on the Sound, where no one is quite sure where they belong.
Praise:
“Just a great read and anyone who picks it up is guaranteed to learn a thing or two: from Guadalcanal to local labor disputes.”
~ Mr. K, Amazon 5* review
Pages: 270
Genre: Literary Historical Fiction
EXCERPT
Canwell looked down at today’s star witness, J.B. Matthews. He was former director of research for the House Un-American Activities Committee, or Dies Committee, in Washington. D.C. Its goal was to expose an alarming growth of a Communist presence in government and labor. Matthews made a name for himself with his testimony and then leveraged his notoriety to build a career as a professional witness. He’d flown into Seattle the previous day to share his expertise with the Canwell Committee.
“Dr. Mathews, are the UW professors openly recruiting students to join the party?” asked Canwell after order returned to the hearing.
“No, there’s nothing open about it. They’re very skillful with their deception,” Matthews responded. In his mid-fifties, his neatly trimmed gray hair, rimless glasses perched on a large nose and finely cut gray suit underscored his credibility. This was a man of authority, credible and convincing. “These professors have mastered Marxism and Leninism,” he continued. “They can skillfully inject their philosophy into their teaching with little risk of exposure.”
The murmuring grew louder.
Mathews picked up a document and held it high for everyone to see. “I have in my hand an official pamphlet of the Communist Party,” he announced. “It’s titled the Road to Mass Organization of Proletarian Children. It lists multiple objectives for brainwashing our young ones.” The audience turned quiet, eager to catch every astounding word from this man.
John Jacobson was outraged. He was pinched in the middle of a herd of fellow students in short-sleeved shirts and girls wearing sweaters and skirts. They crowded the right and left aisles and overflowed into the stairway. The students struggled to suppress their annoyance. Did this know-it-all think they were simpletons incapable of knowing shit from Shinola?
John planned to take Ellie and John Jr. to Woodland Park today. Ellie enjoyed sunning near the rose bushes while Junior rode the ponies. But he was glad he didn’t because this guy was unbelievable. John just finished his sophomore year at UW. He’d taken courses from three of the professors named as suspected Communists. He’d heard rumors about their leftist leanings. Not once did they offer up anything questionable. Sure, they’d discussed Leninism and Marxism in the political science and psychology classes. They compared those forms of government to democracy and capitalism. He’d read the Communist Manifesto while in the reformatory. Its failings were clear to him. He needed no convincing on the superiority of capitalism and a republican form of government.
Matthews began reading. “A special struggle should be waged at the family home by the children to win over the adults. The goal is to convince parents to reject backward ideas like religion, petty customs and traditions.” Matthews set down the pamphlet and looked across the auditorium. Everyone was looking up at him. The hall grew quiet for the first time that day. He hesitated long enough for the words to sink in. “In case you’re unaware, Communists are atheists, and the newly converted are expected to give up bourgeois holidays like Christmas.”
The audience erupted in catcalls and boos. Christmas!
“Order, order!” Canwell shouted, pounding his gavel. “If you want to remain in this hearing room, I insist you show some decorum.”
“This sounds fantastic to some Americans but there it is in black and white.” Mathews waved the pamphlet around. “It starts with ten or twelve year old children and continues right through university. Many colleges today, knowingly or unknowingly, have become Communist front organizations.”
“Please help educate us on Communist front organizations, Dr. Matthews,” Canwell requested.
“Front organizations are a half-way station between the status quo and the Communist Revolution. They are a tool of the Communist Party for seizing power. There are hundreds of them across America. I can name multiple ones right here in Seattle.” He rattled off a list. “The Washington Pension Union, Students for Wallace, the Northwest Labor School, the repertory theater. There are more, believe me.”
John’s annoyance rumbled around in his stomach, bubbling to the surface, ready to erupt into full-fledged anger. Students standing near him stirred and grumbled.
“The U.S. Communist Party is going about it in the reverse order,” Matthews continued. “They are working to convert college students today so they can raise their children to be Communists tomorrow. It won’t happen right away or even in a few years. It may take decades but the evidence is clear.” He stopped to gather his thoughts and looked out at the audience. “My research shows that professors who associate with front organizations on or off campus are inching our country towards the unthinkable. They want nothing less than toppling our democracy and turning America into a Communist state.”
The room exploded in a roar of disbelief and indignation. Spectators stood and booed. Others screamed obscenities.
“Stop the bastards now!” a woman yelled.
“Hang the Commies!”
“Protect our children!”
“Fascists!” screamed John and several other students.
Seattle Police and Washington State Patrolmen rushed in the direction of the rowdy students. John was the first of several pushed towards the exits. Before he could react, two burly patrolmen grabbed him by each arm and dragged him towards the stairs leading to the first floor. His feet barely touched the ground as they marched him down the stairs and flung him unceremoniously through the open front doors. John lurched forward trying to regain his balance but tripped and tumbled down the concrete stairs onto the sidewalk.
David J. Jepsen is a historian, writer and educator teaching Pacific Northwest and U.S. history at Tacoma Community College. His novel about racial and labor conflicts in Seattle following WWII, titled Unbelonging, was released in April 2026.
He was lead author of Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History (John Wiley and Sons, 2017), and he wrote and directed the award winning documentary Labor Wars of the Northwest, nominated in 2019 for Best Feature Film Made in Washington by the Gig Harbor Film Festival.
David writes a weekly post for the Washington State Historical Society titled “This Day in Washington.” He holds a master’s degree in history and a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Washington.
He lives with his wife, Jackie, in Gig Harbor, WA.
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