A Brief Review of Jonathan Tropper's "Everything Changes" by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art)

Nampa, Idaho - May 18, 2026 - Everything Changes (2005) is one of six novels by Jonathan Tropper, an American author, writer, and producer, who first came into my life 11 years ago, at a time when I felt all hope was lost. Back then, not knowing who Jonathan Tropper was, I picked out his novel, This Is Where I Leave You (2009), from a bin of discounted paperbacks in Barnes & Noble because its cover art indicated it had been made into a movie, starring Jason Bateman. I walked out of the store with the book in my hand, thinking, “How bad could it be if one of my favorite actors agreed to play the lead?” Last year, when my life was once again unraveling, I unexpectedly spotted his first novel, Plan B (2000), behind a glass door of a neighborhood book exchange planted between the sidewalk and a manicured front lawn. Like the others before it, Everything Changes found me earlier this month while I was searching for a Hunter S. Thompson book at the library.

What I appreciate most about Jonathan Tropper’s books—besides the sensational plots, relatable characters, and deeper messages—is his commitment to a recurring theme that resonates with me and most men, who think it’s too late to redeem themselves after personal annihilation in a world where masculine energy is repeatedly branded as toxic. I wouldn’t say that Jonathan Tropper’s books saved my life, but what I can say is that his novels came into my life at the exact right moments, reminding me that it’s okay to be a man and to go after what feels right—even if it’s in the opposite direction of everyone else.

-Chuck Trunks

“This work was written independently by the author without the use of generative AI.”

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All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

A Brief Review of Bob Greene's "Once Upon a Town" by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art)

 

Nampa, Idaho - May 11, 2026 - “Let’s make America great again” naturally implies the United States no longer possesses the qualities that once made this country a beacon of hope, prosperity, decency, and freedom. I can imagine walking into a Walmart Supercenter—this century’s version of a town square—and asking older shoppers what they miss about the America they grew up in. I doubt they would have any difficulty responding, giving me answers I’d most likely agree with. Had I come across Bob Greene, an American journalist and author of over 20 books, in front of the unmanned deli counter and asked him the same question, he’d point me in the direction of his book, Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen (2002).

Although the book was published 24 years ago, it perfectly captures a period between 1941 and 1946 in the Nebraskan town of North Platte, a small city in the middle of nowhere, situated at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers and surrounded by wide-open prairie and rolling hills. Greene’s story highlights how, for over four consecutive years, tens of thousands of volunteers from 125 nearby towns offered heartfelt care to six million soldiers, turning the North Platte train station into a sanctuary of food, music, and gratitude for troops deploying to WWII. These selfless men and women simply felt it was their duty to provide the soldiers—mostly boys right out of high school from all over the country—a 10- to 20-minute taste of home and hospitality before being shipped out to defend the nation in Europe or the South Pacific.

I found it both charming and touching how he interlaced interviews with surviving volunteers and servicemen throughout the entirety of the book, who became misty-eyed or wept as they recounted the miracle of genuine giving without strings or expectations. I, too, became emotional while reading this book, which reminded me that once upon a time, in America, a community of patriots focused on something much bigger than themselves, where empathy, common decency, and a desire for fellowship defined a Union Pacific train station in the middle of nowhere.

-Chuck Trunks

“This work was written independently by the author without the use of generative AI.”

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All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

NEW BOOK: "Pillars of Society" by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art) is about the true cost of enlightenment.

Nampa, Idaho - May 4, 2026 - In one way or another, we’re all suffering. If your particular burden wasn’t handed to you by fate or your own unfortunate choices, then it was forced upon you by a cold-hearted ruling class that prioritizes profit margins above compassion, empathy, and even common decency. Sadly, suffering isn’t limited to unmet basic needs; it extends toward a psychological dilemma between appreciating the gift of life and sensing the absurdity of it all.

Through the interactions of four fuzzy caterpillars, Pillars of Society unfolds as an allegorical tale of personal transformation, revealing the true costs behind budding awareness and eventual enlightenment. Carl, Bethany, Fitz, and Sigmund live and work in a colony located in a secluded pond surrounded by wetland trees and dotted with water lilies.

After witnessing Carl’s clumsy yet colorful metamorphosis, you, too, will come to realize the source of your own existential suffering—emanating from either knowing the disheartening truths about the society you live in or believing in the lies of indoctrination. It’s your choice.

-Chuck Trunks

 

“This work was written independently by the author without the use of generative AI.”

Pillars of Society can be found on Amazon.

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All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).