While in Darkness There Is Light: Idealism and Tragedy on an Australian Commune

A look at the lives of five young men who, during the Vietnam era, start a commune in Australia—and a look at how young men often look to the wild to find themselves and the consequences this sometimes yields. The Rosebud Farm project was born of idealism, commitment, and virtue, all deeply rooted in friendships that have transcended distance and time. The men in this story, insulated by wealth and innocent of heart, were trying to make sense of a tumultuous world and trying to find some peace in it.
One of these five young men was Charlie Dean, the brother of Howard Dean (who has written the introduction).
Louella Bryant has won numerous awards for her short stories and poems. She is the author of two young-adult historical novels—The Black Bonnet, finalist for the Vermont Book Award, and Father By Blood, winner of the Silver Bay Children’s Literature Award—and a picture book, Two Tracks in the Snow. Louella teaches creative writing in the Spalding University MFA writing program in Louisville and mentors young writers at the New England Young Writers’ Conference at Bread Loaf.