The Blackjacks

Tony Remo, growing up on the mean streets of Manhattan’s East Village during the War in Vietnam, has been enrolled in college for the past three years to escape the military draft. We meet him the crucial day of the December 1, 1969, draft lottery. His birth date, the 326th selection, guarantees he will not be drafted. Initially euphoric, his mood turns somber and introspective; will he remain in school and attempt to make it in the straight life he is contemptuous of, or quit to further pursue his gang related activities? Tony is president of the Blackjacks street gang.
The Blackjacks is the story of Tony Remo’s struggle out of the poverty of Manhattan’s East Village to the wealth and power of Fifth Avenue and Wall Street. His story is influenced by, and takes place during the decade of the War in Vietnam, one of the most interesting and eventful periods in the history of our nation. However, his success will come at great cost. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

The Blackjacks is character-driven, and comprised of a cast of well-developed, multi-dimensional, and introspective characters. It is also a story of relationships and how they develop and change over the course of the narrative. Make no assumptions, what you expect to happen, won’t, yet I assure you, the reader will not be disappointed or surprised by the outcome.