Winner, Bronze Medal, Independent Publisher Book Awards
Winner, Poets & Writers Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
May Sarton Women’s Book Award Finalist
Foreword Review Indies Book of the Year Award Finalist

“. . . Dempsey’s fine first novel [is] notable for the evenhanded way it addresses hot-button issues. The result is a timely and memorable story.”
—Booklist

“Dempsey’s fine debut, set in 2009, explores how hate, fear, and intolerance cast a lifelong shadow. Current events have only made this gripping story more relevant.”
—Library Journal

“This Is How It Begins by Joan Dempsey is a thought-provoking and timely novel that connects the horrors of our political past to the current cultural climate, giving new relevance to the . . . adage, ‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”
—The Advocate

“A gripping and sensitive portrait of ordinary people wrestling with ideological passions.”
—Kirkus

“. . . the book maintains the reader’s curiosity and makes for a fast-paced, entertaining read . . . its substantive themes parallel many of the issues Americans are debating today.”
—Portland Press Herald Maine Sunday Telegram

“This Is How It Begins is award-winning Maine author Joan Dempsey’s timely, suspenseful and powerful exploration of the very real conflict between religious freedom and civil rights. Dempsey is clearly a talented writer, unafraid to thoughtfully address controversial issues like sexual orientation and intolerance . . . a provocative hit.”
—Kennebec Journal

“This Is How It Begins . . . is nothing if not timely. It is also an enticing read, well written and researched and with mindfully drawn characters.”
—Maine Women Magazine

“What is perhaps most stunning about Dempsey’s novel is her ability to empathetically show two diametrically opposed sides . . . [this] book feels prescient in our current political climate . . .”
—The Denver Voice

“With themes pulled straight from contemporary headlines, Dempsey approaches the fundamental yet often discordant topics of free speech, religious freedom and human rights, and she manages to build a narrative in which all sides are given personable, realistic and sympathetic characterizations.”
—Summit Daily

“A remarkable novel full of characters on every side of the cultural divide, all imbued with genuine humanity . . . a riveting, essential story for our time.”
—Matthew Goodman, New York Times best-selling author of The City Game

“Joan Dempsey’s spellbinding novel illuminates how the tides of history repeat themselves . . . Reading this moving adventure compels us to bear witness to the past and present and think about our own complacency to everyday discrimination in our midst.”
—Dr. Eva Fogelman, Pulitzer Prize Nominee for Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust

“Dempsey brings her characters to life with equal parts empathy and tough-mindedness . . . A riveting story of the clash between LGBT and fundamentalist Christian cultures, and the way its violence reawakens historical trauma, this striking debut is essential reading for our times.”
—Judith Frank, Lambda Literary Award Finalist for All I Love and Know

“Into these tumultuous and politically polarized times comes a beautifully wrought novel that plumbs the roots of bigotry, hatred and intolerance. This Is How It Begins makes it clear that we have been down this road before and we ignore the lessons of history at our own peril. A riveting, immensely satisfying read.”
—Bill Lundgren, co-author of Becoming (Other)wise

“Joan Dempsey’s debut novel is a compelling story that seems to rise out of the rancor of current national headlines—about hate, bigotry, and intolerance. The story has deep roots in the darkness of the horrific persecution and betrayal of Jews during World War II. Twin story lines—then and now—illuminate how close we yet remain to the hellish cauldron that fear enflames.”
—Frank O. Smith, author of Dream Singer, a Bellwether Prize finalist