Last Mango in Texas

Title: LAST MANGO IN TEXAS

Author: Ray Blackston

Publisher: Faithwords

March 2009

ISBN: 978-0446579612

Genre: Contemporary

Texas Tech student Kyle Mango is attending a fraternity party when he meets Gretchen, an artsy animal lover whose independent spirit immediately sparks his attention. But after a month of bliss, they suddenly find themselves in rough waters. When Kyle inherits four oil wells from his uncle, he sees his affluence as an opportunity to impress Gretchen. But just before he makes his move, Gretchen hears news of an oil tanker spilling its load near the coast of Alaska. Leaving Kyle behind in Texas, she joins a group of campus activists in Alaska for the summer to clean oil from suffering birds.

Kyle is torn between managing his business--and being left lonely in the Lone Star state--and risking everything to fly to Alaska to pursue Gretchen. The young oil man soon discovers that oil slicks are nothing compared to relational slicks. The early bird may get the worm, but the oily bird can ruin romance! Through it all, Kyle explores faith in God and His power to change lives.

LAST MANGO IN TEXAS is written in first person, kind of a coming-of-age story about a young man. It starts when Kyle is thirteen years old. The story is told more than shown, keeping the reader distant, and the book easy to put down.

Still, there are some laugh out loud moments, and times you hurt for Kyle—like when he’s mourning the death of his uncle, and when he’s mourning the loss of Gretchen. And I did want things to work out for him.  Mr. Blackston is kind of a quirky writer, with normal people, with not so normal problems. Discussion questions are included. $13.99. 252 pages.