Eugenia: A Romantic Tale of Forbidden Love in 1970s San Francisco and the Struggles of a Conscientious Objector in the Vietnam Era

San Francisco, 1971. The city pulses with protest, possibility, and the uneasy aftermath of war. Brian O’Malley, a young Conscientious Objector, arrives at the House—a battered community center perched atop a steep hill—hoping to serve out his alternative service and find his place in a world he no longer recognizes. What he discovers is a world within a a cast of misfit staff, a crew of streetwise boys, and Eugenia, the enigmatic secretary whose wit and resilience draw Brian into a love as exhilarating as it is forbidden.

As Brian navigates the chaos of the House—dodging bureaucratic sabotage, forging unlikely alliances, and learning the true meaning of leadership—he is swept into a clandestine romance that threatens to upend everything he thought he knew about loyalty, conviction, and the cost of following one’s heart.

Eugenia is a luminous coming-of-age novel about the collision of personal ideals and public duty, the messy birth of community, and the kind of love that leaves a mark long after it’s gone. For readers of literary fiction who crave emotional depth, historical resonance, and unforgettable characters, Eugenia is a story that lingers long after the final page.