Unintended Consequences - Paperback

by Jim Boatwright (Author)

Brimming with hope, Unintended Consequences, a story told through three Southern families, is a moving novel about the ways we weave in and out of one another's lives, sending ripples of change into the world.

From the second we enter this world, our choices, or lack thereof, are shaped by the circumstances already in motion when we arrive. Nathan Erskine wasn't particularly destined for greatness-neither were Matthew Beckham or Roderick Bastrop. And feeling no inward sense ofpersonal destiny, the three found themselves meandering through life, as if neither choices nor their consequences mattered at all, even while their futures morphed and molded into life-altering outcomes with every step.

Nathan, the son of a hardworking and successful real estate broker, never planned to teach. Little did he know, the classroom would become the unlikely stage for a destiny far larger than he could imagine.

Matthew, raised by distant and aloof parents, did everything in his power, good and bad, to get the attention he so deeply craved, until a punishing military academy broke him down and a summer with his eccentric family built him up.

Roderick Bastrop, orphaned as a young boy, lived with his great grandmother. Despite her love she could offer only minimal supervision, leaving Roderick face to face with the cruel injustice of the American justice system. And like so many young Black boys in this environment, Roderick simply slipped through the cracks of a system already skewed against him.

The lives of Nathan, Matthew, and Roderick collide in ways none of them could have foreseen, as they each grapple with courage, conviction, and the inescapable weight of their pasts.

A page-turner that surprises with emotion and heart, Unintended Consequences is for readers who relish rich and gripping stories about love, loss, and the surprises of everyday life.

"A compelling narrative and a call to conscience. Every teacher and parent should read this book."-Dr. Ronnie McGehee, former Superintendent, Madison County Public Schools, Madison, Mississippi