Description
When Randy’s father takes in poor city boy Steve for the summer, the boys become fast friends destined for great adventures. From persuading a Marine Corps recruiter to enlist them at the age of thirteen, to surviving a wild storm under sail, the boys move on to college with a commitment to change the world.
For Steve, this means playing by the rules and working within the system.
For Randy, this means studying Chinese to read the words of Chairman Mao and joining a group committed to overthrowing the international yoke of capitalism in underprivileged countries, preferably by violence.
As men, Steve and Randy’s choices lead in opposite directions. But when Randy becomes a wanted fugitive, Steve is there to help him. As much as Acts of Defiance is about different approaches to combating injustice, it is, at its heart, a story about the enduring bonds of friendship in a tumultuous era.
Whortleberry Press –
A beautiful and moving story
Sliptongue Magazine –
A most excellent tale
Footsteps to Oxford Magazine –
Beautifully written
The Heat –
A breath of fresh air
Enigma Magazine –
A wonderful read
KBR –
This is a novel covering a lifelong friendship, disagreements and all.
As always, do not let my star count override your judgement of content. More on the stars, counting, and my rating challenges later. The important stuff is Beck’s work, so let’s get to that.
The two boys have very different backgrounds and are brought together in an act of charity, perhaps with a trace of condescension. We begin at age seven and continue into middle adulthood. There are lots of adventures, some fairly scary. The boys argue about social change, having very different values. They play tennis and court women, one more successful than the other. The wealth of the one family can hardly be imagined. The other boy is invited back summer after summer. At one point they bend the father’s car. At another point they get into the Marines at age 13 with pure bluster.
They have arguments and one gets mixed up with some scary underground people. Mostly told from one point of view, but Beck switches smoothly for a number of chapters. All of this is wound together. There is military service.
This book is a page-turner. I rarely read something this long in one day, but Beck had my full attention. The characters are well-drawn. Now for the star count boilerplate.