The Lion’s Den
Renewing Our Democracy by Renewing Ourselves
THE LION’S DEN is available on Amazon.com.
“Every generation of Americans must answer a simple but consequential question: what does it take to keep a free nation free?”
— MIKE PENCE, 48th Vice President of the United States
More damn politics.
That’s nineteen-year-old Daniel McGuire’s first thought as he stands in his old high school gym, newly orphaned after his parents die in a car crash driving home from a campaign event. When Congressman Ned Nevers shows up to pay his respects, Danny’s reaction throws the “Golden Boy of Virginia Politics” off script. Nevers doesn’t forget Danny’s moxie.
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The Lion’s Den is a dramatic, character-driven plunge into Virginia politics where public service collides with restless ambition. It’s a twenty-first-century All the King’s Men — a story of the ruthless pursuit of power and the value of redemptive change.
A novel that changes the conversation — and the reader.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The 1st edition of The Lion’s Den, published in 2020, remains available in hardbound format. A third longer than the revised 2nd edition, it’s for the reader who has completed the more fast-paced 2nd edition and wants to dive deeper into some of the philosophical, historical, religious, and legal topics discussed there.
“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” - Daniel 3:16-18 (ESV)
The Center for Politics at UVA
The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia (CFP) has sponsored the publication of The Lion’s Den as an extension of its core mission to educate and inspire civic engagement through programs that are unique, compelling, and open-minded. CFP works toward instilling citizens with an appreciation for the core values of American freedom, justice, equality, civility, and service.
“The Lion’s Den is not a quiet meditation, though it offers opportunities for reflection. It is a story of power, intrigue, danger, courage, and deliverance. The translation of Daniel’s lessons into a modern political setting provides a good measure of that same drama — ambition, rivalry, loyalty, betrayal, pressure, and moral testing.” - Ken Stroupe, University of Virginia Center for Politics
Other Titles by Frank Atkinson
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The Dynamic Dominion
Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945-1980
The Dynamic Dominion tells the dramatic story of Virginia's political transformation from the Second World War to the Reagan Revolution. The cradle of American democracy and thus of the democratic movement that is sweeping the globe today the venerable Old Dominion has emerged again in the second half of the 20th century as a dynamic political pace setter for the nation.
By Frank B. Atkinson
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Virginia in the Vanguard
Political Leadership in the 400-Year-Old Cradle of American Democracy, 1981-2006
Virginia in the Vanguard continues the story, begun in The Dynamic Dominion, of Virginia's reemergence as a competitive, trend-setting state. In the 1980s, Democrats led by Chuck Robb and Doug Wilder reclaimed the governor's mansion and focused attention on a centrist formula as a prescription for renewal nationally.
By Frank B. Atkinson