12/29/25
I was shocked, this morning, to see that someone had purchased my first e-book, "Mathew Franklin Whittier in his own words." It's been something like five years since I sold a copy. I checked, and it wasn't my inquisitve neighbor across the hall.

Sometimes, when I see that people are reading a particular paper or book of mine, I go back and read it (or read from it), just to get the experience of what it might be like for those people, encountering it for the first time. Often, I find a few little lingering errors, and this was no exception. Nothing major--a missing period at the end of a sentence; quotes facing the wrong direction after a dash. That kind of thing.

The book is quite slow to get started. There were a lot of caveats I wanted to add, regarding my research method, the historical record, and so-on. But when it gets into Mathew's personal history, and starts fundamentally re-writing the John Greenleaf Whittier legacy, it picks up quickly. Once the reader gets into it, it's like a new "60 Minutes" episode every few pages. One discovery after another--and they start weaving a tapestry which ultimately proves a great many outrages. It's extremely long; and then there's a sequel. If nobody can get through the first book, then the sequel will never be read, at all. But it's even better than the first one.

I followed ChatGPT's instructions on setting up and running my Facebook ad, for my new book, "The Sacred Carol." It had me create a new Facebook page, but that page being very new, for some reason I'm getting all kinds of junk on it. Over and over, I'm seeing MAGA posts, and Atheist posts. These people are equally irrational; and they each believe they are the epitome of rationality. I have been sparring with them somewhat, but just now I think I was cured of it. I explained to the atheists that atheism is itself a belief system, and that their materialism has been effectively challenged any number of times, but they irrationally refuse to look at those challenges fairly. In other words, they are being irrational while they imagine they are the standard-bearers of rationality.

So what was the response? A laughing emojie. I don't think I could have proved my case any better. But will he see it? No.

I believe it was Rumi who said, "The best answer to a fool is silence." They'll never get it. And it's extremely toxic. My mother was somehow convinced of atheism in college; and it wasn't until she was looking death in the face, at age 98, that I think she finally "got it." That college professor infected her with his convoluted arguments, and it colored her entire life, and made her terrified to die. What finally happened? One of her old college friends, Ida Mary or Eudora, came to her in dreams or visions, telling her to pack her suitcase. She kept refusing, and she was crying in terror at night. But three weeks before her death, suddenly she was peaceful. I had told her, "If Ida Mary or Eudora come, and say to go with them, don't say 'I won't go!' Go with them." But I don't think it was what I said. Something happened, and suddenly the fear was gone. It wasn't too much longer than that, that she lost the ability to swallow, and then it was only another three days.

What a surreal three days. My mother was there with me in the house, as always, but some part of me knew she wouldn't be in three more days. I tried not to think like that. I was the only caretaker, and above all else, I had to function.

Well, I don't know why I went down that path. Just, atheism doesn't cut it. You can philosophize all you want to that you are just fine with "total annihilation." When the yawning abyss is before you, it will take some mighty power of denial to maintain that stance. But then you will drift out of your body, and it will be like the biggest practical joke in the world. You'll still be there; or, as Abby conveyed to me matter-of-factly, "My mind didn't die." And the whole "lights out" thing will be a hilarious joke. If you've had a good heart, that is. Otherwise, you have a life review to deal with.

I can't get across to you how obvious these cases of plagiarism are to me, after 16 years of research. These are not "claims." This is not speculation. These are not "conspiracy theories." This is like trying to explain to a blind person what the color blue looks like. What, am I suppose to admit that I'm not really sure, and that maybe there is no color blue, there? Would that be honest, if I did that?

That's why those two e-books are so long. I spent 15 years rigorously and exhaustively testing every single piece of evidence. After the first year or two, I wasn't guessing anymore. But I kept on finding evidence, and I kept on integrating it into what I'd already written. Yes, I discovered things which caused me to tweak my understanding of certain elements. But everything supported the main thesis.

And where "A Christmas Carol" is concerned, I'll say it again--there is no possible chance that Charles Dickens wrote this story from scratch. He pirated it and turned it into a cartoonish ghost story, to make quick cash. Suppose someone had painted a masterpiece of a young woman lingering in the garden, in the early morning hours. Now suppose a thief steals it, and quickly repaints her as a stripper, claiming that it's his painting.

This is something like what Charles Dickens did with "A Christmas Carol," and I've just put 900 man hours and 2-1/2 months into proving it from clues hidden in Dickens' own manuscript.

And hardly anybody will give me the time of day. No reporters, no podcast hosts, no scholars, nothing. Eleven copies sold so far (though Amazon's reporting is as much as two weeks behind). Daily visits to the supporting website have dropped from 300 to 7. I can't afford to run a perpetual ad campaign, or multiple campaigns. The library doesn't want me; the bookstores don't want me.

We'll see. This isn't over, yet.

Sincerely,

Stephen Sakellarios, M.S.