Six years ago, the United States Congress passed legislation requiring counties with populations of 750,000 or more to establish communities in which citizens with age-related cognitive impairment "could live together in a safe and welcoming environment."Under the philosophically grounded wisdom of its CEO and culturally nurtured instinct for aesthetics of its curator, Victor and Vanta Black, Cerebelland 7 in Maryland's Prince George's County stood out as the premier model for a network of communities stretching across the country.Taking advantage of the inevitable bureaucracy of all governmental systems, Erich Zomboryzsendovic enters Cerebelland 7 as a resident under "false pretenses." To his credit, however, he decides to atone for the deception by inspiring and then championing the spirits of Cerebellanders, while entertaining them and himself. Thus he uses Victor Black's suggestion box to propose an in-house theater company that could explode everyone's expectations of senior citizens with tau-tangled cerebrums.Among those whom Erich recruits for a theater crew are (by former occupations) Ellem Enopy, an editor with an undeniably peccadilloish nature; Windsor Poppet, a shoe designer who believes he has been selected by extraterrestrials to negotiate an interplanetary trade pact; Jinky Trueblood, a handyman transferred to Cerebelland 7 after mistaking a fellow resident's beagle for his own; Laurel Yanni, a chef/restaurateur who harbors guilt over her inability to remember details of life with her late wife; Ophira Oulipo, a homemaker who flourishes her speech with French phrases; and Knox Sheffield, a music producer who kept copious notes even when his memory was fully intact. All of these individuals come together as a force, and the theater company's inaugural production gains unprecedented stature - especially when the president of the United States uses the opening-night production to make an announcement that stands to change the lives of Cerebellanders, their families - and everyone else around the world.Cerebelland presents society's potential if compassion triumphs over politics (nevertheless acknowledging politics as a force), respect inspires resiliency, and encouragement conquers fear. With a mission to inspire, the novel - at its core - addresses a timely and pointed question: Does loss of memory define life?
