A Legacy of One

Kevin Chapman

If you have ever wished that there were more stories with Columbia College as their setting and Columbia alumni as the main characters, then you will be happy to know that I have recently finished writing one! For Senator Jonathan Prescott III (CC ’93), the protagonist in my new novel, A Legacy of One, a return to Columbia for his twentieth class reunion reminds him of some of the events that shaped his personality and his politics. It also reunites him with his closest friends from college. Jonathan is a rising star among the next generation of Republicans and the son of a former Senator who is still a pillar in the conservative community. Jonathan’s father and his political handlers are grooming him for a run at the White House. But one of his old college friends, who is now a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, is considering writing an expose on Jonathan that will include the embarrassing fact that his college lover aborted his baby. If that’s not bad enough, she is also contemplating another bombshell that will question the Prescott family legacy. While this is all going on in his present life, a large part of the story takes place back in the early 1990s at Columbia, when Jonathan and his three closest friends were undergraduates. Through a series of flashbacks to their college days together, we learn about events that influenced him and how those experiences contribute to his present-day struggle to define who he really is as a politician. Amid the tawdry reality of campaign fundraising and the influence of conservative religious leaders and corporate backers, Jonathan will have to assess his life and decide whether his future truly lies on the path his father has been laying out for him since birth.

This entertaining and serious story wraps together modern politics, morality, identity, and self-determination. Every Columbia alumnus will recognize the settings and identify with the events. Every reader will hopefully find some common ground with Jonathan as he grapples with his difficult choices. Order your copy today of A Legacy of One, available in hard copy or as a Kindle ebook (only $2.99) here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY1IP5X