The country is very divided and many people only operate within their insulated bubbles. Conspiracy theories abound. Chronic enemies like Russia and China threaten global stability. Freedom of speech is under scrutiny while books are disappearing under the encouragement of the government. Many are fed up with the two-party system and a serious exploration of running a third-party candidate for president is taking place. Though this sounds like today, it is an America depicted in By Means of Peace, a semi-prophetic, thrilling, dystopian novel set in 2148.