Hawks Novel Suggests that Teenagers Listen to the President

When President Bill Clinton was caught with his pants around his ankles while denying his extra-marital sexual activities, did teenagers listen to his excuses? Did they follow his immoral lead? When president George W. Bush admitted that he agreed to let the National Security Agency spy on American citizens, were teenagers paying any attention? Does the law really matter? When the President of the United States makes statements or decisions of great impact can teenagers, those Americans who are least affected by politics, be the most affected by his guiding influence?

In the novel 'Before they were HAWKS: Birth of the Malevolent Philosophy,' six teenagers recall the words of former President Ronald Reagan when he declared a war on drugs. These teens didn't 'Just say No!' like the first lady asked. Instead they took the war to be a literal one. "Why else did he declare a war on drugs?" asks James Ballum the fearless leader of this fictional troup of teens who call themselves the HAWKS Foundation. "A war has soldiers and casualties. A war has heroes. You can't fight a war with just empty words and good intentions." James goes on to describe how these high school students would be trained to take on America's new enemy - drug dealers. "Our country has the best killers in the world. We call them veterans." His dream is as scary as it is simple. The HAWKS are to graduate high school, enter the military to learn how to kill and then return to America's streets using military tactics to annihilate anyone who is selling narcotics.

Surely President Reagan meant his war on drugs to be rhetorical. There is no doubt in any adult's mind that he meant for drugs to be taken under control. He did not intend for teenagers to be stalking the streets with firearms and turning America into a war zone. However, it's hard to say who these young minds are listening to. It's very easy to take such a powerful person literally, especially if you don't know any better.

Before they were HAWKS: Birth of the malevolent Philosophy is the first in a series of novels by Alex Hutchinson about militant teenagers on the streets of America. If the future leaders of this country are truly listening to our elected officials then this series of books could be a frightful prophecy in the making. We've seen the riots in France, we've seen young insurgents in Iraq so the question is not out of order - can our own children rebel against us? We had better hope this author is wrong.

Alex Hutchinson is a former gang member. He is the author of Virgin Gloves, Backyard Empire, Before they were HAWKS and Sevlow. All four of his novels are available at Amazon.com