The vision of the Sixties as articulated in Sea Change has the capacity to transform our collective future. Dorothy’s personal stories reinforce the possibility of love, hope, and peace. This beautiful, intimate offering is a gift of resilience.

-- Rashani Réa, author of Beyond Brokenness and The Threshold Between Loss and Revelation

For anyone who lived through the “Sixties,” Dorothy Emerson’s authentic stories were shared by many and offer a well-guided path down memory lane. Her analysis of the lasting effects of that era describes a potential path forward for those who want to change what is happening in our culture today, but recognize the old forms of protest do not work well. Her historical review supports the value of spiritual awakenings to fuel cultural/political paradigm shifts. Young “Cultural Creatives” can use the lessons of this book for their own Sea Change. 

-- Karen Edwards, PhD. Professor and psychotherapist (retired)

Sea Change is rich in accounts of personal relationships and the work of ministry and teaching during the Fifties and Sixties. They personalize the era in a special way. Each person’s life is different, of course, even if they live at the same time and place. Only by adding them all up can we truly understand a period, and this work offers a very rich and illuminating contribution to that library.

-- Robert Ellswood, Professor of Religion and author The Sixties Spiritual Awakening and The Fifties Spiritual Marketplace

Dorothy’s book reminds us that along with tie dye and bell bottoms, the 60s created an agenda for social justice. Dorothy shares her encounters with the forces of social and cultural change, embodying the shift into a new way of seeing and feeling.  This book is a personal story and a generational one, relevant for anyone who lived through that turbulent decade or who wants to understand it through the eyes of an intelligent and committed activist.

-- Ruth Crowley, Administrative Law Judge (retired)

Sea Change is an engaging personal chronicle of a young woman’s life during the challenging and exciting Sixties. The honesty of Dorothy’s reflections invites the reader, whether of her own age (like myself), or younger or older, into a space of self-discernment. Each story weaves into the tapestry of one life the rich textures of social, cultural and political upheaval.  Sea Change fulfills Rumi’s admonition: “Don’t hide your heart but reveal it, so that mine might be revealed, and I might accept what I am capable of.”

-- Rev. Stephen Shick: author, poet, speaker, activist, and lover of life.

Your book is wonderful! I think my life would have been different if only I had had a teacher like you. I mean that.

-- Linda Lundin, “Gals in Sports”

Dorothy’s vision of a world filled with acceptance and love will likely not become a reality in our lifetime, but still all she had done, and continues to do, as a teacher and minister, have a made a great difference to many. I found Sea Change captivating and enlightening, a wonderfully colorful look at a very troubled, yet rich and exciting time.

-- Andrew Stark, musician, composer, producer

If you enjoy the combination of memoir and social context, you’ll want this book. A clear chronicle of one young woman’s experience in the wider world of the ‘60s, complete with hopes and dreams.

-- Rev. Dr. Jane Rzepka, author Zip Lines to Hosaphones: Dispatches from the Search for Truth and Meaning

Your writing style is engaging and polished. In other words, you hooked me.

-- Rev. Dr. Judith Campbell, author Olympia Brown mysteries

What stood out for me was the honesty of the self-reflection based on the vivid memories of the past. I really appreciated the depth of self-awareness and the willingness to share both positive and negative experiences. It is a courageous enterprise to engage in this kind of excavation of a life and I think that you have done a very laudable job with this. It made me reflect a great deal on my 1960s story and contemplate doing a memoir of my own.

-- Rev. Gail Tapscott, minister (retired)

I enjoyed reading such an honest account of experiences that were very different than mine – and appreciated your reflections.  You did not sugar coat or simplify the complex relationship between love and sexuality for you.  Well done.

-- Rev. Gail Seavey, minister, Nashville TN

I love the title “Sea Change” and the water imagery. One of my own—and probably others—difficulties in writing about the 60s is that it (and we) were constantly in motion, ever-changing in our understanding of ourselves and our world. You capture that spirit so well.

Susan Jhirad, Sociology professor and author Dickens’ Inferno: The Moral World of Charles Dickens