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MWSA Review
Born into one of the wealthiest families in the county, Dakota is expected to work for his father’s drilling company, the biggest employer in the area. But as a high school senior, he doesn’t know yet what he wants to do. Dakota and his father butt heads over the youngster’s indecision. Dakota graduates and, one day at breakfast, tells his father that he doesn’t want to work on an oil rig; he wants to work on cars.
The two mutually disown each other and Dakota impulsively enlists in the U.S. Army, leaving the mother he adores and his high school sweetheart Julie. Insisting on being called by his high school nickname Chief, the young man leaves Little River and looks forward to serving his country. He is certain that Julie will wait for him, and someday he’ll come home, they’ll get married, and start a family.
It is 1963 and men are sorely needed in Southeast Asia in a remote country called Vietnam. Chief’s ethics and values ingrained by his Osage parents make him the ideal soldier. The ensuing story chronicles Chief’s journey to hell and back with several tours in Vietnam. Author Giacomo vividly depicts what life was life for the infantry in Southeast Asia. On his way to becoming a man, Dakota Blackwater experiences intense struggles for life and death along with unexpected twists, turns, heartbreak, gut-wrenching grief, and the balm of forgiveness.
Review by Nancy Panko (January 2023)
Author's Synopsis
Born into a well-off but strict family, eighteen-year-old Dakota Blackwater doesn’t appreciate his father’s plan for him. He wants to find his path through life and chase his own dreams. Instead of taking the easy road, he rebels, enlists in the US Army, and goes to war in a place foreign to him – Vietnam. He finds this choice may be the more difficult one, learning the pain of death, not only of his friends but his own hands. Will he keep his morality or slide down the rabbit hole of hate?
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 173
Word Count: 55,774