Michael Gray's Reviews > Noble Vision

I definitely enjoyed reading this novel.. In spite of my own views about health care being quite different from the author's (which reminded me of "Atlas Shrugged" in it's strict preference for individualistic individualism over compassionate community), I couldn't stop myself from reading through to the final pages--in fact with gathering interest. I was originally attracted by the title, "Noble Vision", because of my respect for "Vision" as the first step of the Buddhist "Noble" Eightfold Path. In an unexpected way my orgiginal interest was satisfied by this unusual work of fiction. Although not overtly spiritual, this novel celebrates the vital aspirations that can only be realized through how we live our lives. The narrative arc and the characters are vividly realized. In the real world of American Healh care, I believe that the sins of "Carefree" (the fictional public healthcare system of "Noble Viison") are actually inflicted on the American people by for-profit agencies, whose most convenient source of profits is to with-hold benefits. But with a slight shift of focus (interpreting the presentation of Carefree as a symbol for beaurocratic indifference to the suffering of ordinary people) this fictional send-up is engaging and very well-written.