“Do yourself a favor, dear reader: pick this book up. . . With sharp writing and likeable characters, Ron Childress has woven a very human story out of the tangle of conflicts — military, political, financial — that bind us all together.” – Washington Independent Review of Books
“This book is a powerful wake-up call to understand how fear, greed, and war inform our technological advances. Childress has truly earned his PEN/Bellweather Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.” —Karen Tallant, Booksellers at Laurelwood, Memphis, TN
“This is one of those keeps-you-up-at-night, miss-your-subway-stop kinds of books that you’ll pass around to friends. It’s one to take to your book club. ” —Rushville Republican
“[A] gritty debut. . . It’s a master study in how people can emotionally detach themselves from the damage they cause in our computer-driven world.” — Washington Post
“Although Childress initially appears to be setting up a political thriller, what evolves is a more personal exploration of life in the wake of colossal mistakes . . . . Centered on ethical questions but never preachy, Childress’s narrative ponders the meaning of conscience in a technocentric world.” – Shelf Awareness/Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads
“[A] strong first novel . . . This powerful and morally chilling tale depicts the chasm modern technology can create between actions and consequences–and the effects that has on the individuals carrying out the actions.” —Library Journal
“I’m impressed by the power of Ron Childress’s voice and the accuracy with which he describes human behavior. He’s an intelligent and gifted writer who doesn’t show off–he knows how to tell a story that you won’t forget.”—Terry McMillan
“Impressive and keenly relevant to our time, And West Is West weaves seamlessly between drone strikes and high-speed trading on Wall Street. I devoured it in forty-eight hours, and during the hours I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. I still am.” ―Barbara Kingsolver
“This compelling debut novel dramatically examines the insidious role unrestrained technology plays in the moral and ethical corruption of people, institutions, and government. . . This is an excellent story, well told, suspenseful, and tragic.” –Publishers Weekly