Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Jerry Lincoln has a problem: his Sioux Falls IT consulting business has more work than one man can handle. Luckily, that means he can hire some help. Jerry just hopes his new employee, John Black Raven, ends up being more helpful than distracting—but John’s deep eyes and long hair are very distracting.

John came to town for an education and a chance at a life he couldn’t have on the reservation, but what’s important to him now is getting a job and keeping it. Six months ago, his sister died, and now her children are in foster care. Despite having the law on his side, John can’t get custody—can’t even see his niece and nephew.

As Jerry and John grow closer, John discovers he doesn’t have to struggle alone. Jerry helps him win visitation rights and provides much-needed support. Yet their victories aren’t without setbacks. Child Services is tangled up with money, politics, and red tape, and Native American children are their bread and butter. But John and Jerry are determined to fight the good fight and to win—in more ways than one.

 

Book Review

Every once in a while a book comes along that has me fascinated not only because it is well written, meticulously researched, about interesting characters, and deeply touching emotionally, but also because it contains a story that needs to be told. "The Good Fight", as the name already implies, is such a book. Two very special men meet and then unite in a fight for justice which, to be honest, should not even have to be fought.

 

What am I talking about? One of the two main characters in this book is a Native American, and his niece and nephew were taken by the state and put into foster care when his sister died. Yes, the children needed to be taken care of until he could travel to be with them. But – foster care is not intended to be permanent, and yet, child services do everything in their power to keep the kids away from their uncle. As always, money is involved, and the situation just made me angry. The fact that this is only one of many such stories of injustice and the "white" establishment still working against the interests of Native Americans makes me furious.

 

Jerry works as an IT consultant, developing websites and complex web-based applications. He likes working on his own, has enough projects to keep him more than busy, and moving back to Sioux Falls when his grandfather got sick was the best thing he ever did. Now that his grandfather has died, he focuses on work and soon has enough to hire help. When he does, his life changes. One of the men he hires opens his eyes to a whole new world of social injustice, and being the man he is, always doing the right thing, Jerry jumps in to help. As he slowly falls for John, he gets involved on an emotional level as well, and I loved how steadfast, loyal, and supportive he is of his new lover.

 

John/Akecheta is only looking for work, but finds so much more when he accepts the job offer from John. He is very quiet and withdrawn until you get to know him, or until his ability to take care of his niece and nephew are questioned. Then he gets very intense and I loved how he is not afraid to show his emotions, be they happy ones or signs of extreme frustration at a system that will not let him win. When he decides to fight, with John's help and encouragement, I cheered him along all the way. Seeing him stand up for himself and his rights, and enlist others to support him, was wonderful and very satisfying to watch.

 

Andrew Grey has taken on the telling of a socially important story with this book. He makes the issue clear, treats the implications with care and sensitivity, and, hopefully, will make every single reader realize that not everything is as just as it seems in one of he most advanced nations on this planet. That even in the early 21st century such blatant mismanagement of an entire people's interests is even still possible infuriates and saddens me in equal measure. Thank you, Andrew, for taking on this subject, and for giving this issue your time, and these people a voice. I certainly hope you will continue adding stories to this one, making this a series which can help readers be more informed about a form of social injustice most people are not even aware of.

 

Suppression and discrimination is never right, and if you want to find out more, handed to you in the form of an interesting story full of amazing characters, please buy and read this book. I think it is well worth every cent you spend on it, and every minute of your reading time will be well invested!

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 200 pages/62536 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	03-September-2012
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-good-fight-by-andrew-grey-4134-b