by 
Unfortunate Words
by John Hansen.
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Montana in 1917 was not necessarily a hospitable place for Germans. World War I was raging and America had just declared its intent to help the British and the French. Not everyone was convinced this was a good idea but God help you if spoke your mind, especially if you were German. Otto Lutz fell into this category. He and his family were like most ranchers in central Montana in 1917. They were struggling to make a living from a land that was more often than not, unpredictable in what it would yield. Still, life had been mostly good for them but that was before the war and their feud with Jim Thompson. Given the man he was, it was not a good set of circumstances for Otto.
“A powerful story full of pain, suffering and retribution. Well done!” – 5 Stars / Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Reader’s Favorite
“…an enthralling read, well written and with a good pace.” – 5 Stars / Jane Finch for Reader’s Favorite
“All in all, Unfortunate Words is a great book.” – 5 Stars / Raanan Geberer for Reader’s Favorite
A Word from the Author
The impetus to write UNFORTUNATE WORDS came to me by accident. I was watching a PBS documentary about the Sedition Act that the State of Montana passed during World War I. It was, quite frankly, so unbelievable that I decided to do additional research. This Act gave the government enormous authority to punish anyone who said almost anything that was critical of the government’s war policy. The people with the most to fear were those of German ancestry. German hymnals were not allowed nor were text books for the teaching of the German language. Schools were purged of these types of books. In some cases books were burned in the street and in one case, the high school in a central Montana town mysteriously burned to the ground. Citizen committees were created, per this legislation, to serve as community watch dogs for seditious activity. Friends and neighbors were turned against one another. Many people were arrested. Fines often exceeded $5,000 and prison sentences as much as 20 years at hard labor were imposed. Couple this with the exploitation of the working class in particular the mining and timber industry, and it resulted in a very dark time in America’s history. To tell this story, I created a fictional ranching family of German and French ancestry. For the reader of UNFORTUNATE WORDS it will be an eye opening experience. I have attempted to be as accurate as possible in describing the times and conditions whether it be how a Model T car operated, the brand of beer Otto Lutz drank, the questions on a draft registration card in 1917, how the phone service between Lewistown and Butte, Montana operated or a myriad of other items and events. I hope you enjoy.
(John Hansen, June 2018)
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