Robert Ward, Red Baker

Red Baker

Robert Ward

St. Martin's, September 26 2006, $12.95

ISBN: 0312362749

In the 1980's fortyish Red Baker was downsized as part of a sixty percent workforce reduction at Larmel Steel. He has few options, as the industry laid off a large chunk of the lunch bucket brigade. His best friend Dog, also fired, blames the "Nips", but Red knows better. Still, he fears telling his spouse and children, even avoiding going home until he has no choice but to explain that his aspirations of the American dream have been shattered.

Unable to cope with his inability to no longer take care of his family and considered non-trainable at his age, Red accepts menial jobs to bring in some income after unemployment checks end. However, he proves incapable of switching from a highly regarded skill of a steel worker to a car park attendant, so he is fired. His esteem shatters further as his neighbors belittle him for not keeping a job; his wife Wanda, his son Ace, and Dog worry about him; even his mistress Crystal thinks he is losing it. Turning to alcohol and desperate, Red persuades Dog to do an act of stupidity.

This is a reprint of an insightful 1980's character study in which a hard working honest man doing the right thing finds his beliefs castrated as he falls from despair to depression to amoral behavior. Red is a terrific protagonist who feels he played fair, but was unfairly treated by his firm and society. His relationship with his wife is falling apart, but that looks glowing compared to his son who cannot hide his animosity, as his heroic father suddenly increasingly lets him down. Still poignant today, readers of deep social issues will appreciate Robert Ward's strong tale, though the storyline needs time to truly take off, as the first segue introduces the audience to a stunned deer in the headlights Red. Readers will want to take the time to get to the meat of this terrific tale.