Michael Sky is Dying

Unless you live on a small, green island off Washington State, or haven't read his books or participated in his workshops, you've probably not heard of Michael Sky. He is a dear friend, and he is dying.

I met Michael about eight years ago. One of the best go-to guys on all matters Mac, I had him up to my cabin at least a couple of times a year to work his magic when, inexplicably (to me), my machine would start fritzing, or when it was time to swap out an operating system or install some (to me) complicated software.

Unassuming, soft-spoken, Michael never talked about himself. Not until I asked him did he provide information about the three books he had published over the years, smartly written works on breathing, firewalking, and building peace. (No, he's not your classic "new-ager," the kind cynics love to disparage. He's a practical man with a keen mind, a strong spiritual side, and a fundamental commitment to decency, liberty, and equality.)

But it's Michael's latest, and last book, that brings me to introduce you to him.

Accepting his fate, Michael worked his tail off to complete Jubilee Day: When America Changes Its Mind About All the Big Things. He made it, with God knows how many weeks to spare.

What's it about?

Imagine the following email showing up at all major media outlets and online blogs:

A Message for the Dominators...
Six will die, every day, until you start
sharing wealth and power.
Jubilee

Next, imagine that six prominent Americans do not wake up that morning: the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the president's chief of staff, a former vice president, the Joint Chief's army general, and two Tea Party leaders. Each died of apparent natural causes at approximately 4:00 a.m., Eastern. There are no signs of intruders, or forensic evidence, or anything else to suggest foul play.

The next morning, six more victims. Among them the current Secretary of the Treasury, the CEOs of the two largest Wall Street investment banks, and the CEO of the world's largest oil company. Same time, same circumstances.

The following morning, another six victims. The day after, six more.

The best law enforcement minds in the country are totally flummoxed, an entire nation paralyzed by fear.

Then a new message arrives, an eight-point manifesto sent via Facebook and Twitter. It's a list of demands that the American government make sweeping changes: progressive taxation of millionaires, caps on executive compensation, a 50 percent reduction in military spending, a one-time forgiveness of all debts. And much more, such as an end to the drug war.

Jubilee is Michael's first work of fiction, and it's a lulu (pun intended). It's a riveting whodunnit, breathlessly paced, featuring characters you care about -- including, by the way, rich, powerful white men who look for all the world like likely targets but whose generosity and basic goodness spares them. Yes, it is wildly imaginative, but it's a credibly rendered tale. (There's no end to what might be accomplished when the most powerful men in the world believe they might be next.)

Unfortunately, even when he was healthy, Michael was so not a self-promoter. Now that he can no longer eat or drink or speak above a whisper, now that his formerly robust physical self is down to 106 pounds, he cannot promote Jubilee.

But his friends can.