The Black Madonna

About the Book

“This whole country is nothing but a nation of immigrants, Jan. That's what makes this nation so great! Our forefathers got kicked out of every respectable country in the world!” Jan Sharanski never saw the humor in his wife’s cynical joke. Born in America, she knew nothing but freedom. He, on the other hand, came from a world where freedom existed so long as no one asked any questions...and that was a major difference. Jan Sharanski, a partisan serving in the Polish underground during the Second World War, finds he must flee his native Poland for the United States in order to escape communist oppression. Arriving in Chicago, Jan settles in the city’s Near-Westside Polish community. There, amidst the backdrop of the Cold War, the Chicago mafia, and the Daley political machine, he will build his life. In the process, Jan discovers that yes, America is the land of opportunity…but sadness and despair is also a part of that Great American Dream. Capturing the true essence of that American Dream falls to Jan’s daughter, Drusilla. Putting her faith in “the Black Madonna,” Drusilla sets out on her own personal quest to fulfill her father’s ambitions. Steeling herself in the rough and tumble world on the mean streets of Chicago, Drusilla will discover the love, hurt, pain, and success first known by her father. In the process, Drusilla Sharanski discovers her own appreciation for what it is to truly be an American.

About the Author

John D. Loscher is a college graduate and holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration. In 2004, he was awarded his Teaching Certificate from the State of Illinois. He is a former military enlisted soldier; later, a commissioned officer. He served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. A lifetime writer of scholarly papers and military reports, he has recently turned his attention to writing fiction. His first novel, Coming Out of the Dark, was published in 2003. He is currently hard at work writing his next novel. John “J.D.” Loscher holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and is a Certified Teacher. He served in the United States Air Force and is a veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. His novels, Three Cheers For Father Donovan, along with the epic two-volume narrative, The Bolsheviks, put him at the forefront as an author of historical fiction. Additionally, he authored the novels The Heart of the Matter, The Pontchartrain Connection, The Maltese Messiah, and The Kingdom of the Damned. He is the dramatist for a highly successful double trilogy chronicling the saga of the Sharanski family. The first trilogy: Coming Out of the Dark, The Black Madonna, and In the Hands of the Gods. The second trilogy: To Slay a Dragon, The Unholy Family, and The Run for the Roses. Writing under the pen name of J.D. Cooper, he wrote the novel Window to the Soul. He is currently hard at work researching and writing his next novel.