The Adjustment — John Gess

The Adjustment continues the story of Jacob Cahill, the son of American missionaries in China who were killed during the great purges of Mao Tse-tung early in his reign. In Book One, Jacob survives through the goodwill and good graces of his Chinese godmother, Mu Ju, and her son, a former Buddhist monk, who cares for and trains the boy until he is old enough to flee China. To the shock of his caretakers, they realize that Jacob is a child prodigy, possessed of extraordinary intellectual abilities, which they struggle to help him realize. Now back in America, fifteen-year-old Jacob must adjust to the enormous changes in his life and the society around him, using his great gifts to not only survive but thrive. Yet there are roadblocks thrown in his path as the racial fires are burning harshly in 1960s America. As he faces those who violently confront him, he must make difficult choices of life and death and question his own morality in the process. His talents carry him far, yet is he becoming a savior or a monster?