I have to admit, when I started this book I thought, oh bummers...it's going to be another depressing introspective book ...and for the first bit that's how it appeared. Just a kid, graduating from Harvard who simply needed to grow up. Not exactly the kind of book I like to read. :)
But overtime the book intrigued me.
I wanted to know what happened that was so terrible.
What changed the course of their lives?
And so I continued to read, and eventually got my answers.
I decided the book wasn't horrible. :) It was actually kinda good.
Would I bill it as a 'you have to read this" type of book? No.
But it's not a bad book at all, it redeemed itself for me.
The main protagonist grew up. He remained haunted by the events that occurred but took the steps to understand what happened by talking to the others involved.
It was interesting to observe how each person involved reacted to the events as they unfolded, even in the midst of tragedy.
I have to admit, parts of the book didn't seem to fit well so I glossed over them. Which could be why I didn't really see the racial aspects of the book. The book touches on a variety of themes, but I can't really say it focuses on any of them in a meaningful way... just more as sad undertones to the overall story.
Press Release:
Astor + Blue Editions is proud to present the profound literary novel In the Company of Educated Men, by Leonce Gaiter (ISBN paperback: 978-1-938231-84-1, ePUB: 978-1-938231-82-7; Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Coming of Age; pub date: September 2014), an intense story of wanderlust, confused self-reflection, and resentful grudges. Gaiter, a Harvard educated African American writer, provides an incisive statement on racial and socioeconomic injustices in the United States.
Lennie Ashland is a Harvard Graduate without a plan for the future. With the mind of a philosopher, Lennie has an unquenchable thirst for meaning; for finding his ‘place’ in the world. He and his friends embark on a soul-searching road trip which quickly leads to disaster – a fine example of how one bad decision can spiral completely out of anyone’s control. They meet Jessie, an armed teenager with an abusive past and a hopeless future, and Cindy, a little girl running from a hostile home life. One thing’s for sure: this road trip is something Lennie will never forget.
In the Company of Educated Men touches upon some sensitive themes, including socioeconomic gaps, racism and hate crimes, anxiety and depressive disorders, and domestic abuse. Gaiter’s heart-pounding thriller leaves you breathless while his poetic prose induces an intensely cerebral reading experience.
Facts about the author:
Raised in New Orleans, Washington D.C., Germany, Missouri, Maryland and elsewhere, Leonce Gaiter is the quintessential army brat—rootless, restive, and disagreeable. He began writing in grade school and continued the habit through his graduation from Harvard College.
His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times, LA Weekly, NY Newsday, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Salon, and in national syndication. His noir thriller; Bourbon Street was published by Carroll & Graf in 2005. His 2011 historical novel, I Dreamt I Was in Heaven was also recently published. He currently lives in Northern California.
I received an Ebook edition.
Title:In the Company of Educated men
Pages: 315
Type: Thriller, Crime, Coming of Age, Political.
Price: $14.95 paperback, $5.99 ebook.
Publisher: Astor And Blue