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This is the story of a working class American who saw that change was needed in the situation of Native-Americans, a group of which he was a member.

Son of an iron-worker, and sometime professional boxer, Richard Oakes went into the same field as happens so often because unions, usually very exclusive, look kindly on the new generation taking over from the old.

Seeing the plight of the "Indians" initially among his particular tribe in northern New York State and southern Canada, Oakes observed demonstrations and began participating in them with the full cooperation of his wife, Annie. Taking on work at San Francisco State College, Oakes worked to find staffing for courses on Indian culture with the full cooperation of the college president.

Though Alcatraz, left abandoned by the federal government after it closed as a prison, had been occupied briefly in the past, Oakes had the idea of a long term occupation in keeping with other such actions he had seen that took over abandoned federal facilities, surging in number with the Red Power movement that was a part of the turbulent days of the late 1960's and early 1970's that convulsed America's youth during the Vietnam War.

But Oakes stayed only a matter of weeks before the death of his daughter in a fall down a stairwell left the family distraught and unable to stay on the island amid factional strife. Though Oakes had departed, the Alcatraz occupation continued for 19 months as federal authorities were on the back foot and eager to compromise rather than confront as confrontation only promised chaos and grievances were well founded.

Richard Oakes, like so many working class men, was no stranger to fighting and bars were often places to gather to discuss how things were going and what should be done in days to come. In a tragic incident an assailant in a bar broke a pool cue over Oakes' head giving him a concussion and a skull fracture requiring months of learning to speak anew and left him limping.

His life ended on a lonely road where he was walking when he was shot to death. The shooter claimed self-defense and a jury ruled not guilty. At no time in his life did Oakes approach what would be called a middle class life of security. His iron-working days provided a good income, but he made the decision to make a difference for his people rather than sit back and enjoy life.

This book is testimony to the willingness of government officials to work for the redress of grievances, as mentioned in the Constitution, something that seems far in the past in these days of nothing but shouting and name-calling in Congress while wealth is served and we the people draw little from legislation that so quickly sends weapons abroad for no national purpose.

The book includes a very powerful, though posed, photo of Annie and Richard Oakes seated with several of their companions while at Alcatraz. You can view it at