Into the Streets
Charles Isaacs
Political 20th Century Fiction
It’s the late 1960s. The Vietnam War, the Antiwar Movement and the Black Power Movement are rushing toward their explosive peaks. In the midst of this charged time, an inter-racial pair of young activists fall madly in love. Awaiting them are excitement, danger, heartache and redemption.
Into the Streets: An Antiwar Love Story chronicles those lovers’ challenging journey, their coming of age amidst an unpopular war; a racially polarized city; a hostile mayor and ever mounting threats, all while working through their own deep psychological issues. 1968 is marked by campus unrest, urban rebellions and assassinations, as well as political violence that thrusts the duo into clashes with Chicago’s police and the National Guard. The suspense builds breathlessly to a heartrending climax during the street protests surrounding that summer’s Democratic National Convention.
Uncaged Review: The late 60s was a time when I
was a very small child, so even though I did learn a
lot about the 60s later on, I was close enough to it that
it was a step back in time to read this book. Interracial
couples were frowned upon, being gay was a problem
that could be solved with the churches and therapy,
and it was also a time of violence, riots and protests
of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement
along with the assassination of Martin Luther King,
Jr.
So the political times were tumultuous and divisive.
Funny how history repeats itself. This story is a
fictional love story between Steve and Cat, an interracial
couple within the authentic accounts of the real
history and their passion for their causes and for each
other. As our main characters navigate this political
turmoil, the reader will be drawn into the past on a
campus in Chicago – and all the unrest of the times,
deftly told by the author.
4 Stars
