May 10 : "And West Is West" - Ron Childress

Definitely the best fiction I've read in a year! I recommend this to everybody.

While browsing for books I generally try to go against the old adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover", for if the art department at the publishing house is doing its job properly, then the cover of a book should be a good representation of the consciousness of the writing inside.

A couple months ago I was browsing at my favorite, the Independence Library, and I came across a brilliant cover that begged me to pick it up. The book is titled, "And West Is West", and this is blurb I found on the inside of the jacket cover: "When Jessica, a young Air Force drone pilot in Nevada, is tasked with launching a missile attack against a suspected terrorist halfway across the world, she realizes that though women and children are in the crosshairs of her screen, she has no choice but to follow orders. Ethan, a young Wall Street quant, is involved in a more bloodless connection to war when he develops an algorithm that enables his company's clients to profit by exploiting the international financial instability caused by exactly this kind of antiterrorist strike. These two are only minor players, but their actions have global implications that tear lives apart-including their own." Through various circumstances, both characters wind up losing their jobs and being forced to take the blame for decisions that they did not make (Was one of them "set up"?). A lot of the book concentrates on what they do next. These characters "learn the hard way about the devastating power of new technology to isolate us from the consequences of our actions."

I do recommend "And West Is West" to everybody. It is a good suspense novel, and it also has a wide range of diverse and interesting characters who are dealing (or not) with vital and intertwining issues, personal, political, and societal. While the theme of the book is disturbing, I did enjoy spending time with the characters. Here is the click if you'd like to check the book yourself ::: "And West Is West" at FLP