Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2023

I was given this book to read as an ARC and liked it the best of all of Angel Giacomo's books so far. He nails it in the veracity department, down to knowing which type of military rifle jams in mud. The through line of the main character's life is one of maturation as the book follows Chief's (aka "Dakota") years as a young high school football star to what happens to him while in active combat serving in Vietnam. I liked how the book begins and ends, too. It all seemed perfectly fitting. Giacomo has only gotten better in how he spins a tale. The focus is clean and realistic for the subject matter. There is a lot of truly sad stuff in the book but the hopeful and somewhat (to me) surprising ending makes it a book worth reading.

From Boy to Man.
"Chief" is a boy of origins of the "Osage Tribe", raised in a wealthy family, like most of the boys of his age, he is at odds with his father, who wants to plan his life. It is often difficult to choose one's own path,
Chief understands that if he wants to develop skills, enhance his abilities and improve in his life, he must choose for himself. It really is the key to everything. He presents an opportunity: the Army. Time to get involved, and prove to himself and his father that he is ready to become a man and find his place in the world.

Chief has great willpower and strong motivation, his determination will lead him to overcome the difficulties that he will find during the hard and tiring training. Chief is committed to doing his best, he continues to train, study and improve, intense training sessions await him. In the book we discover why in the future it will be vital to develop and cultivate these skills and especially in war zones.

Page after page, the book takes us into the "War" dimension that tests the Young Chief, who will have to face the harsh reality. Facing Death… through mud and blood, Losing comrades who have now become brothers… Witnessing unstoppable violence… in a war where many will pay the highest price. Chief will prove his mettle, both on the battlefield and when he has to choose to do the right thing.

Chief is now a man, and he has found his place in the world, but when he finally meets love, something unexpected shatters what he had longed for with all his heart... A family.
A Dark Shadow descends on Chief, changing him profoundly, and tearing away his happiness... and when the specter of Alcohol captures him, it makes us understand how and why we make our decisions, putting the emphasis on all those mechanisms that lead us into mistake.

It is surprising how the writer manages to weave the story so well, delving into every emotional aspect of the protagonist and the characters he meets, and taking care of the smallest historical and military details on every occasion, without weighing down the reading, but enhancing it for a perfect understanding from every point of view. The great research work of the Author and the attention to detail are perceived.

"If we want to know the profound meaning of the books written by Angel Giacomo, we have to open one of his: at the end, in the darkest corner of the chapter, there is a sentence written especially for us"

Reading this Book I "crossed" Chief's life, I experienced his difficulties, his personal growth from a boy to a man, I experienced his emotions, joy and pain, which personally put me to the test, it's like a punch in the stomach page after page. I appreciated the inner strength that Chief brought out, not to break down despite the unbearable pain, and to react in the face of the hard blows that life often has in store for us. This cannot leave us indifferent.

A Feather can be so significant in the life of a boy of the "Tribe" that he has become a Man.

Recommended Reading.

The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Golden Feather tells the story of Dakota Blackwater, a young man who rebels against his father's expectations and enlists in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He is determined to serve his country and make a name for himself and goes by his high school nickname, Chief. A name given in respect to his leadership by his high school football teammates. As a soldier in Vietnam, Chief experiences the harsh realities of war, including intense struggles for survival and witnessing the deaths of his comrades. Despite the trauma, Chief's values and ethics help him to navigate the complexities of war and maintain his own morality. Throughout the novel, Angel Giacomo vividly depicts the realities of war and its toll on those who experience it. At the same time, Dakota explores universal themes of love, loss, and identity as he struggles to reconcile his past and present and forge a path forward in a world that has been forever changed by his experiences.

I recently read 'Golden Feather' by Angel Giacomo and it was a great read. The story follows Dakota, an eighteen-year-old who doesn't appreciate his strict family's expectations of him. He rebels, enlists in the US Army, and goes to war in Vietnam. The story is a great exploration of the human spirit, as Dakota grapples with the realities of war and the decisions he must make in order to survive. Through it all, he must decide if he will keep his morality or give in to the hate he is surrounded by. The story is well-written with vivid descriptions of both the horrors of war and the beauty of the land. It is an emotional journey and I highly recommend it.

Born into one of the wealthiest families in the county, Dakota is expected to work for his father’s drilling company, the biggest employer in the area. But as a high school senior, he doesn’t know yet what he wants to do. Dakota and his father butt heads over the youngster’s indecision. Dakota graduates and, one day at breakfast, tells his father that he doesn’t want to work on an oil rig; he wants to work on cars.

The two mutually disown each other and Dakota impulsively enlists in the U.S. Army, leaving the mother he adores and his high school sweetheart Julie. Insisting on being called by his high school nickname Chief, the young man leaves Little River and looks forward to serving his country. He is certain that Julie will wait for him, and someday he’ll come home, they’ll get married, and start a family.

It is 1963 and men are sorely needed in Southeast Asia in a remote country called Vietnam. Chief’s ethics and values ingrained by his Osage parents make him the ideal soldier. The ensuing story chronicles Chief’s journey to hell and back with several tours in Vietnam. Author Giacomo vividly depicts what life was life for the infantry in Southeast Asia. On his way to becoming a man, Dakota Blackwater experiences intense struggles for life and death along with unexpected twists, turns, heartbreak, gut-wrenching grief, and the balm of forgiveness.

Reviewed by Alex Ndirangu for Readers' Favorite

Angel Giacomo's The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Golden Feather is an intriguing work of historical fiction set in the 1960s. The story starts in Little River, TX. A day after Dakota Blackwater, also known as Chief, graduates high school, his father tries to force him to start working on an oil rig. But Chief has had enough of his strict father. He leaves home and volunteers to join the army. Thoughts of his girlfriend, Julie, his dear mother, and the determination to prove to his father that he can make it through the strenuous training keep him going. But things get even more difficult when he's eventually deployed to Vietnam. The wounds he suffers on the outside are nothing compared to those he bears on the inside and his fate is yet to unfold.

The story held my attention from the beginning to the end. With deep character relationships, occasional heart-wrenching moments, and a sweet teenage romance that sparks for years, Golden Feather is a well-paced adventure that was hard to put down. The plot was also fast-paced and easy to follow. I admired the author's meticulous research into the technical aspects involving military weaponry and their training. He incorporated these without making the plot difficult for the average reader to follow. Some of the best sections involve fast-paced action scenes. Angel Giacomo's deftly crafted, vivid descriptions transport you back to the mayhem in Vietnam over five decades ago. Here, you visualize A-1 Skyraiders' planes flying low on a chaotic battlefield, targeting the enemy, and Chief jumping just in time to dodge the oncoming rockets in the most realistic way possible. Every avid reader who enjoys books full of adventure and action will enjoy Golden Feather. It will be most appealing to those who want to see a soldier's life from training to deployment and beyond.