Ringing True (2010) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Justin Raines: Justin is originally from the Chicago burbs, the only child of two workaholic parents, now living in another burb outside of Seattle. Nice guy, good looking, ex-barista, now interning at the Mega Software Company, living a life according to expectations, nothing unusual on the surface. But beneath that surface there is a deep and genuine concern about the hatred and greed consuming the human race. This concern exists only in formless, disconnected thoughts that he keeps purely to himself until he meets Shelby Mirabeau, who opens up new possibilities for Justin . . . possibilities he is unsure he wants to face.
• Shelby Mirabeau: A free spirit who ignored the chamomile influence of her New Age parents to become an insightful observer of the human species. Open-minded to a fault and stunningly non-judgmental, she encourages Justin to open up and share his inner secrets. Through the all-encompassing magic of Shelby-logic, she manages to convince a reluctant Justin to work with her to create a new religion for modern times (a religion they later name Ringing True). As they move through failure and stunning success, Shelby changes in ways she could never have imagined, but without ever compromising her essence.
• Matthias Bender: The poster-child for American techno-capitalism, Matthias is a thoroughly selfish, driven and devilishly charming individual. When their maiden attempts at launching their religion fail miserably, Shelby convinces the always-cautious Justin to enlist his help. Matthias takes over the launch and eventually positions himself as President and CEO of Ringing True, Inc, a position he intends to use for a completely different purpose than to spread the world-saving message embedded in the religion.
• Theo: Roommate of Justin and Matthias, Theo seems very much the prototypical Seattle geek. An employee of a video game developer who lives and breathes technology, he is also a devotee of a Seattle band who seem unlikely to break into the charts any time in the future. It is this sense of loyalty that leads him to unquestionably support Justin and Shelby in their efforts to launch a new religion, and once the decision is made that cyberspace is the key to getting the word out, Theo and his girlfriend Emmy become the gurus of ringingtrue.com. Theo is an unusually nice person, a hopeless slob and a great friend.
• Emmy: With her hair in a tight bun and her glasses melted into her face, Emmy could have been cast for walk-on roles in any film needing a librarian. Somewhat rusty when it comes to social skills (much like her partner Theo), her thoughts tend to spill out in tiny, seemingly unconnected snippets, placing a heavy demand on the patience of her listeners. She is in fact an organizational and technical wizard who shares Theo's sense of loyalty while enhancing that loyalty with a passion for home and hearth. While the others act out from time to time, Emmy always seems to come through.
• Gwendolyn Marks: An enormously talented and successful film actress with two Oscar nominations under her belt, Gwendolyn has reached that point in life where the search for meaning begins. Part of that search involves retreats in faraway places, and part of it involves surfing the Web. Introduced to Ringing True by a film crew, she becomes a serious student of the new religion. A chance appearance on a popular talk show leads to a meeting with Justin and Matthias, leading to a transformation of Ringing True that will either open the door to great possibilities or open a Pandora's box of power politics and intrigue.
• Marcie: Marcie is an events coordinator at the Ringing True gala. Enough said.
• Dwayne Barker: The ultimate empty suit. Business manager for Gwendolyn Marks. Speaks completely in a monotone with an accent reminiscent of a polo shirt.
• Sidney: Matthias' executive assistant. Sidney was manufactured for a future career as Chief of Staff in the Bush III administration. I hope people get the "Clear it with Sidney" reference.
• Tommy: Tommy is a graphic artist and the leader of Acoustic Disturbance.
• Brenda: Brenda is Justin's boss at the Mega Software Company. Seriously entitled.
• Wendy: "Hi, I'm Wendy, your HR business partner!"
• Kieran Mcdougall: Ex-husband of Gwendolyn Marks.

Quotes edit see section history

• “The real value of any human endeavor lies in how far it advances the human condition.”

  Justin Raines

• ““Let me begin with the ‘we’re too young’ argument. In case you haven’t noticed, nearly everything that has had a social impact in the last fifty years has been initiated by people who were too young, mainly people in their twenties. Think of Elvis, the Beatles, the Sixties protesters, Woodward & Bernstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, those guys at Google, all the losers who are somehow making a big splash today. America is always looking for something new, always rushing to the next big thing—and it doesn’t matter if it’s any good or not. Our generation is uniquely qualified for this mission because we don’t know shit and we don’t let that stop us!””

• ““Second, let’s look at the idea that a religion’s founder has to be special, divine or enlightened. How do we know that all that wasn’t just self-promotion or the marketing tactics used by followers to give the movement some credibility with the stupid? We hear all the time how this new singer or actress is a legend after one crappy CD or one lousy movie. It’s all marketing, Justin. Mar-ke-ting!” She paused and took another sip. “And that means we’re perfect for this. We’re Americans—it’s in the blood!””

  Shelby Mirabeau

• “Although the great push meant that everything was ready to go by the first week of January, Matthias moved the launch date back to January 23. He explained he wanted a clear field without competition from Elvis, Richard Nixon or Martin Luther King. On the other hand, he wanted to get the ads running long before Ash Wednesday because he had invested a good chunk of the ad money in targeting American Catholics (“Pedophilia and an ex-Nazi for a Pope? Slam dunk!”).”

  Matthias Bender (Quote only.)

• “"The hard part is that you can never really leave America. We are everywhere, man. Our stuff, our TV shows, our movie stars—Justin, those people are crazy for our movies, even our crappy movies—our hotel chains, our restaurants—we are everywhere."”

  Shelby Mirabeau

• ““Because someday there will a moment in time when I say, 'let’s go this way' and you’re not going to want to go. I need you to know that it’s okay—okay not to go—but that it’s okay for me to go where I need to go.””

  Shelby Mirabeau

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Seattle: The bulk of the action takes place in Seattle and its environs, particularly Capitol Hill, Wallingford and the Eastside city of Bellevue.
• St. Louis: St. Louis is the location for a grand gathering of the followers of the new religion . . . and where the dramatic events take place that lead to an unexpected climax.
• Evansville: This relatively placid city straddling the Midwest and the South is the scene where the dramatic conclusion of Ringing True is played out.
• Los Angeles: Justin and Matthias visit Los Angeles to meet Gwendolyn Marks and wind up spending most of their time in traffic on the 405.
• Vancouver, B. C.: Needing to escape the noise of America's culture wars, Shelby invites Justin to slip over the border to this beautiful, vibrant city. Vancouver proves to be the birthplace of the religion later called Ringing True.
• Bellevue: Bellevue is a boring upscale burb across the lake from Seattle, famous for its inexplicable snobbery. Justin winds up sharing an upscale apartment in Bellevue with Theo and Matthias; Shelby moves across the lake after Ringing True takes off. The author is a resident of Bellevue.
• Hollywood: Hollywood is not a place, but a state of mind. The book is populated with a few Hollywood stars, shrinks to the stars, lawyers to the stars.
• Capitol Hill: An urban Seattle neighborhood with an edge. Justin and Shelby spend time there in one of its best coffee houses, Caffé Vita.
• Wallingford: A cozy neighborhood in Seattle where Shelby's parents live and where Justin spends a summer in between school years.

Organizations edit see section history

• Ringing True: Ringing True is the name of a religion created by Justin Raines and Shelby Mirabeau in 2005. In 2006, they agreed to organize Ringing True as a for-profit corporation with Matthias Bender as CEO and Shelby, Justin, Theo and Emmy serving as Board members. Although numbers were uncertain and probably inflated by CEO Bender, Ringing True claimed over 5M adherents worldwide in mid-2006.
• RingLeaders: The RingLeaders are adherents of the religion Ringing True who agreed to lead study/discussion groups to reinforce the teachings in the religion. Since Ringing True, Inc. was a for-profit corporation, RingLeaders paid a $29 fee to enlist (later raised to $79 as demand increased).

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• The Numbers: The Numbers are the text of the religion called Ringing True. Written with poetic economy for the modern reader, The Numbers consist of twelve precepts on various aspects of the human condition:The First: ResponsibilityThe Second: God and ReligionThe Third: Fear of DeathThe Fourth: PowerThe Fifth: Flexible SabbathThe Sixth: CommunicationThe Seventh: NonviolenceThe Eighth: LearningThe Ninth: ScienceThe Tenth: WorkThe Eleventh: FamilyThe Twelfth: HopeThis list represents the final version of The Numbers. The version originally published to the world during the Ringing True launch in January 2006 contained ten Numbers. A Number on Economics was excluded, as was the Number on Family. Due to the influence of Gwendolyn Marks, the Economics passage was later transformed into the Number on Work and the Number on Family was restored to the list.
• RingLeader: An adherent of the religion Ringing True who paid $29 for a study guide to lead groups of other adherents in study sessions on the philosophy of the religion.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Wind Chimes: Wind chimes become the symbol of the religion called Ringing True.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Robert Morrow (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: 2010915444
• Dewey: Add the Dewey Classification.

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Definitely not intended for children.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Ringing True: The full website for Ringing True, featuring a synopsis, character descriptions, excerpts, illuminations and interesting links.
• ringingtruenet (blog): Robert Morrow's Wordpress blog where he comments on Ringing True, publishes excerpts from the novel, slips in a little poetry on occasion and offers the music of Acoustic Disturbance.
• You Tube (Ringing True Mini-Movie): The Ringing True Mini-Movie is a video synopsis of the novel Ringing True by Robert Morrow.
• Ringing True (Blog): Robert Morrow's second blog on Tumblr (a bit more edgy than the Wordpress version).