After working tirelessly on John F. Kennedy’s campaign, Michael McMaster attends the newly-elected president’s inauguration. A young political activist following in his parents’ politically-driven footsteps, Michael’s career goal is to become a journalist, despite having been advised by others to choose between his two passions—journalism and activism—because the two often don’t mix well. Michael begins his journalistic career at the Village Voice, a weekly, award-winning news and culture paper out of New York. Later, he accepts a position with the Chicago Chronicle, the City’s most widely-circulated daily newspaper. His career enables him to cover an array of historical events, including the attack on Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama; the Cuban Missile crisis; the JKF assassination; the Selma, Alabama civil rights marches; Vietnam war protests; the Detroit riots; Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination, Robert Kennedy’s assassination; and the riots that took place during the Chicago Democratic Convention.
While Ken Fireman’s THE UNMOORING is primarily political fiction, the author seamlessly weaves in the relationship between Michael and Riva Daniels—an up-and-coming Black actress who also has political ties and interests—that infuses matters of the heart with weighty bureaucratic issues. Other relationships are complicated by politics and are similarly portrayed, such as the one between Michael and his parents. Throughout the narrative, relationships—largely based on political beliefs and philosophies—take shape and add depth and interest to the story. THE UNMOORING is a must read for those interested in the U. S. political environment of the 1960s. The book provides commentary on political systems and theories by Fireman, whose experience as a journalist and White House and Pentagon correspondent provides him with first-hand knowledge of the people, places, and events of the time period. His political fluency gives him authentic insight into the inner workings of Washington and enables him to write an appealing and believable novel. Fireman’s writing style is compelling, the characters engaging, and the drama intriguing. A nice balance of back story, description, action, dialogue, and characterization will keep a variety of readers interested. The writing and narrative structure are technically sound.
As Ken Fireman’s debut novel, THE UNMOORING–a compelling, fictional tale with authenticity and interesting philosophical discussions based on the author’s experience as a journalist and political correspondent–the quality of the story and writing are indeed impressive.
~Florence Osmund for IndieReader