Introduction

A shell-shocked soldier returns home, questioning the very meaning of American freedom.

While panning for gold, Iraq-war veteran Punxie Tawney meets Hamilton Chance, a barefoot, manic, obsessive drummer with a burning desire—to distill tax-free whiskey just like his forefathers during the American Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. The two join forces, set up shop in the rugged high desert of Washington’s Columbia Basin, and begin producing Westcoulatum Good Goddamned 1794 Freedom Whiskey. But soon their alcohol-fueled idyll is disrupted by Cherry, a.k.a. the Aphrodite of Wenatchee, and her best friend Loyalhanna, a woman so traumatized by her past that she refuses to speak to men. Plus there’s the indigenous hustler, Sam the Man, and before long, out where “the rattlesnakes lie out in sage leaf bikinis,” the cast of quirky characters discovers that freedom is not a one-size-fits-all concept.

Drawing inspiration from the annals of U.S. history, Jeffrey Dunn's literary novel Whiskey Rebel paints a riveting portrait of characters left behind by the American dream, engaging readers in a thought-provoking tale about identity, freedom, and the ongoing pursuit of happiness.

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Excerpt

1. The True History of Sazerac 

2.  

Because it’s easy to overlook another man’s faults when loneliness gnaws the soul, and since my options were the man in front of me, a red harvester ant down at my feet, or a buzzard high above my head, I chose the man who offered me his bottle. I was also curious about something the man said—“just as long as we don’t run into any de Milos”—but I saved that question for later. 

As we walked along the Old Blewett Pass Road heading toward Washington State 97, we nipped at Hamilton’s bottle, and as the bottle went back and forth, I recalled the time my dad told me to pay close attention to what a man drinks. He said it was a window into a man’s soul. And then my dad said, “Boy, any man who orders a cheap shot and a beer is off to a good start.” If there was one thing my dad understood, it was drinking, so I paid close attention when Hamilton began to preach on his bottle. 

“You see, this ain’t just any old bottle. Thing is, this once had rattlesnake oil in it made by The Yaquis Medicine Company of San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon. It was the genuine article. Just like that”—he snapped his fingers—“it cured any and all your aches and pains.” 

“Sounds like a pretty good racket.” 

“Yep, but I can do The Yaquis Medicine Company one better by fillin’ this ol’ bottle with a Sazerac of my own makin’.” 

“That’s what we’re drinking?” 

“That we are.” 

“And what exactly is Sazerac?” 

“Curious, I like that. And since you asked, Sazerac has a long and glorious history. All goes back to Louie of the Roaches. He was drinkin’ with painters and poets and czars, all them Frenchies, and he told them boys, ‘I can do this absence you’re drinkin’ one better. Here, let me spike it with some whiskey. And then I’ll do that one better. I’ll sprinkle in some dandelion and mint leaves. Then, I’ll add a sugar cube. Now, Vinnie Van G, tell me that don’t give you a starry, starry night!’ And you know what ol’ Louie put in every bottle of Sazerac? A roach, of course. It was his family’s totem, so there’s always a roach at the bottom of every bottle. It makes it authentatious. And that’s only the half of it. All those Frenchies have been livin’ in communes since the Romans mixed it up with the Vikings. It’s crazy over there. Been that way since caveman times. And all that’s right here in that little bottle you’re pullin’ on. And I’ll let you in on my own little secret.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Thing is, absence is hard to come by, and even when it comes my way, it’s downright expensive. So you know what I do?” 

“I can’t say that I do.” 

“Instead of absence and a sugar cube, I drop a black licorice gummy bear in a bottle of cheap bourbon. If you’re not in a big-ass hurry and wait for the gummy to dissolve, who’s to know? Great, huh?” 

“It’s got a head start,” I replied. 

“Got a lot of secrets, you know. Got to get by.” 

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Discussion Questions

From the author:

Deep
1. Which character is of the most interest? Why do you think this is?
2. Would you like to visit the Columbia Basin? Why or why not?
3. What is your idea of the American Dream? Is there a character who shares your idea, and if so, in what way? If not, why?

Deeper
1. People love to argue over whether or not at the end of Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” Mary should climb into the singer’s car and head off into the sunset. What do you think of Punxie’s and Cherry’s romance? Do you think they have future? Should they be the subject of a sequel?
2. Whiskey Rebel opens as a simple buddy adventure book, and then things fall apart with the entrance of Cherry, Sam the Man, and Loyalhanna. What do each of the new characters teach our buddies? Did one of the characters give you pause to think, and if so, in what way?
3. People don’t write letters back and forth much anymore in the way Hamilton and Punxie do in the middle of Whiskey Rebel. What do these letters add to the development of them and the other characters? In this age of email and direct messaging, we have gained speed, but at what cost?

Deepest
1. By definition, complex trauma is the result of repeated trauma over time. All five of Whiskey Rebel’s major characters have experienced complex trauma in one way or another. How were the sources of complex trauma different for each character? How did the role of personality affect the way each character dealt with their trauma? What do you predict the future will hold for each character?
2. It has been said that serious writing engages with other works of literature, and to that end, Whiskey Rebel does this in two ways. On the one hand, Punxie offers the reader a running list of books and literary characters, and on the other hand, the librarian of Catacombs recommends three proto-to-radical feminist novels. How do you feel about the way the author used this technique in Whiskey Rebel? Do you sometimes follow up on the literary breadcrumbs that authors leave behind, and if so, in what way?
3. It could be said that Whiskey Rebel is not a historical novel; it is, in fact, a histories novel. Contained within are British, Native American, U. S. Labor, and Iraq War histories, not to mention the more specific history of the American Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, each told from different vantages. Is this a fair assessment, and what do so many histories say about our telling of American history?

Bonus
While reading Rachilde’s The Juggler, Punxie tells Cherry he doesn’t understand the line, “Women don’t write, they sign!” Her response is to cast Punxie and her in a dramatization. What does The Juggler, the dramatization, and Cherry teach Punxie about what he calls “the battle of the sexes.” What do you think about Cherry’s agitprop theatre and your own battle of the sexes?

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