Author: Andrew Grey
Narrator: Andrew McFerrin
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 6 Hours, 13 Minutes
At a Glance: One of the best stories based on an ongoing problem I’ve ever read
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.
Review: Andrew Grey’s The Good Fight, the audiobook as well as the print book, is a very emotional ride. It’s the story of a broken foster care system in South Dakota, intertwined in a love story starring Akecheta Black Raven, his niece Ichante, and nephew Mato. Jerry Lincoln, the IT programmer who was lucky enough to hire John to work for him, falls in love with him and helps—no, not helps—stands beside Akecheta as he gains custody of his niece and nephew. The love story is perfect, built on respect and trust. If anything could have been added, it would have been to fill out the supporting characters—Paul and Leonard’s relationship with each other, and “old Man Hooper,” something happened to make that man so cranky. Oh, and Steven Dobbs from South Dakota child services, I would love to have read more about him. But, Andrew does this to me every time. He builds such great characters I just want them to be real and help them fight for their causes.
Andrew McFerrin does an outstanding job with his narration. Akecheta Black Raven, aka John, is perfect, deliberate, spoken slowly and with great character. Jerry, the web programmer, is also spot on. A hurried voice, full of energy and confusion as he tries to come to terms with his attraction to John, and trying to understand the culture of the Lakota People. All the supporting character have distinct voices, which I really appreciate when I am listening to an audiobook.
I can’t state it loud enough, The Good Fight is one of the best stories based on an ongoing problem I’ve ever read. To this day, the Lakota People of South Dakota are facing it. I am also a South Dakota girl and have witnessed firsthand some of the problems that Native Americans of South Dakota have experienced. Andrew Grey’s writing is so diverse, each story being unique and well written. Thank you, Andrew, you did you research and it shows.
You can buy The Good Fight here:
