FeaturedLiterary Fiction

The Return of Jason Foxx

By

Loved it! 😍

You’ll want to cheer for Jason Foxx, an unforgettable character who confronts his demons and proves his true worth in this inspiring story.

Jason Foxx has long been the rock of his family. He plays the role well, and they are fortunate to have him. He has managed to rise above the wreckage of his painful childhood.

 

Like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, some people are called upon to be better than those around them. I was a teenager when I first saw the Christmas classic, and I railed against George’s fate, seeing it as not wonderful at all. “It’s not fair!” That he should do all the right things for everyone else at his own expense didn’t seem right.

 

I had similar thoughts about Jason Foxx, but I’m older now. Jason does not have it easy. He has managed to become a healthy, stable, productive adult. The fact that the father who scapegoated and mistreated him should take advantage of his hard-won financial stability made me want to stomp my feet.

 

Jason’s life feels exhausting when he has to cope with backstabbing at work, run to the hospital when his brother has an alcohol-induced mishap, give up his Sunday to see his incarcerated father, and do his bidding in order to get his cooperation on the simplest of matters.

 

But he gamely faces it all, daunted, but figuring it out as he goes along. This is a story of growth and becoming. When we first meet Jason, he has clearly come a long way already, having found success in his passion for teaching and his drive to be there for at-risk kids the way his own teachers were there for him.

 

But he still struggles with voices from his past telling him that his goals are not worthwhile and that he can’t succeed. He avoids conflict and damages connections under the guise of not wanting to interfere. This chapter of his life has him gathering his courage to go beyond these barriers.

 

Wisdom and creative problem-solving play a role in Jason’s eventual triumph. When unfair circumstances threaten to derail his plans and there does not appear to be any obvious solution, he and his allies think outside the box.


 The art of teaching is beautifully illustrated in this book. Jason is an effective teacher not just because he cares so much, but because he has mastered the fine points of capturing his students’ imaginations and making them invested in what they are learning. When he mentors a teacher whose heart is in the right place but who is wildly ineffective, it is clear how carefully Jason himself has honed his skills in the classroom.

 

Far from being a victim, Jason’s experiences show him (and the reader) that being a person of integrity is its own reward.

 

I would like to thank Kevin Lavey and Boyle & Dalton Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Reviewed by

I am a social worker, therapist, avid reader, and have been writing book reviews and other content on Medium.com since May of 2021.

Chapter One

About the author

Kevin Lavey is the author of The Return of Jason Foxx, Rat, and numerous short stories published in literary magazines. He has been recognized for his writing, including awards from the Maryland Writers' Association and the Maryland State Arts Council. view profile

Published on March 14, 2023

Published by Boyle & Dalton

60000 words

Contains mild explicit content ⚠️

Genre: Literary Fiction

Reviewed by