Mesaland: Deadly Heritage

About the Book

n the last half century, the Native American peoples of the country have found themselves in increasingly advantageous positions, enabling them to utilize the natural wealth of their lands and their unique political structure to reap huge benefits for their reservations. Unfortunately, these changes did not always create benign results. Oftentimes the gains were garnered by an influential few who showed little or no regard for the welfare of their brethren. Widespread alcoholism, felonious activities and overcrowded jail houses persisted. Also, the lure of casino gambling money and profits from drug use and prostitution invited incursions by racketeering elements. These conditions were an affront and a menace to the culture and pride that represented the Indian heritage. Could this spreading stain be stemmed? The story, ÒMesaland: Deadly Heritage,Ó invites you to consider one intriguing possibility. A force of three took up the task. The first, a lone Navajo brave, sought retribution against all those who were responsible for the callous destruction of his family, his future and his world. He was joined by others who clung as staunchly to their native traditions while working within the framework of their official reservation law enforcement to turn the tide of community decadence. The third member of the relentless triad came from a different time and birthplace to discover his roots, the origin of his heritage. Acting separately at first, they soon became an irrepressible band of brothers determined to sweep away the scourge and to present the promise of a new beginning to their tribal community.

About the Author

Jack Hansgate was born in Leicester, England. At the age of two. his family emigrated to the United States. They settled in Buffalo. NY. ,where Mr. Hansgate received all of his early schooling before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps for a two-year military stint including campaigns against the Japanese during World War II and a year of occupation duty in China. He was the first in his family to attend college. After his service discharge, he enrolled in business and foreign service studies at Georgetown University with the help of his service savings and the financial aid available from the G.I. Bill. He furthered his education after earning a NY State scholarship allowing him to study engineering at the University of Buffalo. Mr. Hansgate does research and writes every day. MESALAND: Deadly Heritage is the second of his novels. The notes he kept describing his early service experiences will provide material for his third novel, ‰*ÏTSINGTAO: Bond of Honor.‰** This story reveals the political undercurrents prevailing during our country's support of the nationalist Chinese armies pitted in a contest of survival against the communists, an outcome that would influence the next forty years of U.S. geopolitical involvement in Pacific rim affairs.