University of Washington

A Third Act: At Last, Renowned Professor Doug Underwood Launches His Debut Novel, "Always, Tessie,"  a Tale of the Turbulent 1960s Set in the Pacific Northwest.  Professor Underwood relates the story of young lovers Tessie and Derek who live in a Portland, Oregon suburb during the turbulent 1960s. He captures the concerns of the period as the Vietnam War raged, a civil rights movement challenged racism and segregation, and women demanded equal rights as they gained more personal freedom with the advent of the birth control pill. The beauty and relative isolation of the Pacific Northwest loom over the young couple and their friends as they deal with past trauma, social pressure, the threat of the military draft, intense competition, and other ominous developments in their rapidly changing world.