Review: Not Politically Correct
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 1, 2012
A beautiful and very intense love story between Jennifer Gardiner (a WASP - White Anglo Saxon Protestant) and Bradley Youngson, a Native American of the Blackfoot tribe,Medicine Man's Affairdelves into the pop culture's hero worship of athletes on one hand and the animosity towards them because of the unrealistically high salaries they make.But before I write anything else, let me just mention that thi book was ORIGNALLY PUBLISHED in 1983 under the title NATIVE SEASON. This is before the mind boggling multi-million dollar contracts that athletes make were the norm. In short, Bradley Youngson might make a lot of money, but he is before the Michael Jordan era when athletes become a brand on their own. This notation will become important when you get to the end of the story.Also, the 1980s might only be 30 years ago, but though the decade was many things, it is not known for being politically correct. Hence, throughout the book, you will have characters refer to Lee as American Indian and even addressed as Chief. If that grates on your finer sensibilities, just think of the era the book was originally written.This might be a love story, but it is also about finding your own identity. One character in the book actually talked about Lee stradlling two worlds - Native American and western civilization. And for me, this is the crux of the matter and why I am glad that the author reissued this book without changing anything except the title.The U.S. in the 2010s is more of a melting pot than it was 30 years ago, not because of nationalities but because of the inter-racial and inter-nationalities romances and of course families. And of course, as the TV show "New Normal" discourses every week, things have changed so much compared to the last century.Yet, Lee trying to find the balance between his Native American heritage and still be a member of the bigger society called the United States is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago.So, let us go beyond the perceived politicall incorrectness of the book. Let us see the book for what it is - a love story that delves into differences that became immaterial in the end because love conquers all. Sounds sappy, but this is a romance novel after all.This book is PG 13 due to some sex scenes.