Publisher:
American Real Publishing

Publication Date:
08/01/2024

Copyright Date:
N/A

ISBN:
9781965092125

Binding:
Paperback

U.S. SRP:
19.95

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NO BOUNDARIES: When Two Worlds Collide

By Kevin Geise

IR_Star-black
IR Rating:
3.8
Kevin Geise’s NO BOUNDARIES: When Two Worlds Collide successfully combines its coming-of-age narrative with adult storylines to create a panoramic view of social change in Middle America, capturing a crucial moment of social transformation with historical accuracy and insight.
Set in 1971, Fort Wayne, Indiana, the story follows a group of teenagers and their parents as they navigate the challenges of school integration, labor disputes, and social upheaval.

In his debut novel NO BOUNDARIES: When Two Worlds Collide, Kevin Geise ambitiously tackles the social upheavals of the late 1960s and early 1970s through the intersecting lives of teenagers and families in a midwestern city on the cusp of racial integration and cultural change. Set primarily in the fictional suburb of Coldwater Creek, Indiana, NO BOUNDARIES follows a group of childhood friends as they navigate the transition from the insulated world of junior high to the more complex adult realities of high school, dating, and family tensions while the twin specters of Vietnam and racial unrest loom in the background. A parallel storyline focuses on Marquis Jackson, a Black auto mechanic who moves his family from New Orleans to Fort Wayne in pursuit of a better life—only to face discrimination at work and pressure to unionize. As boundaries between races begin to dissolve, characters from all walks of life must confront their prejudices and preconceptions.

Geise takes on a sprawling cast and a tumultuous historical era, at times sacrificing depth for breadth. The pacing lags in the first half as he establishes context around the 1960s, but finds surer footing and gains in emotional resonance as it progresses—especially when it hones in on the teens’ day-to-day interactions, tensions, and discoveries. Geise’s prose, workmanlike when handling historical context, becomes more vibrant in character-focused scenes. Consider this effective moment, for example: “When Bob Wills opened the newspaper that morning, he saw a picture of Danny on the Metro page…he said it made him feel kinda creepy riding around the neighborhood and tossing pictures of his dead brother on everyone’s driveway.” A scene where Brian prepares for his first date is particularly well-rendered with sensory detail: “Brian felt the perspiration on his back sticking to his shirt as it pressed against the warm vinyl seat. Now he was worried about his shirt getting wrinkled before he even arrived.”

NO BOUNDARIES ultimately earns its place within the tradition of socially conscious historical fiction that examines pivotal moments of change through multiple viewpoints, reminiscent of John Dos Passos’s U.S.A. trilogy in its scope (if not its experimental style).

Kevin Geise’s NO BOUNDARIES: When Two Worlds Collide successfully combines its coming-of-age narrative with adult storylines to create a panoramic view of social change in Middle America, capturing a crucial moment of social transformation with historical accuracy and insight.

~Edward Sung for IndieReader

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