The Chess Game takes place in the battered, and high crime rate city of Camden, New Jersey. The young mother to be is mistaken about the time of her doctor's appointment which is at 8 PM and not 8 AM. She and the father of the unborn child (named Jude, the Patron Saint of Hopeless Cases and Impossible Tasks, is the narrator of the book) decide to stay in Camden and take in the "Ways" until the evening's appointment. They meet two men on a porch playing chess, or The Chess Game. A king piece is missing. Throughout the story, the chess players, Ruby and Cliff, give them hints as to where the king or Wizard may be hidden on this bloomy day of the 16th of June. A popular expression today is, "there are a lot of Moving Parts." Well, The Chess Game has a lot of "Moving Parts" on the chess board and, more importantly, on the decayed streets of once proud, prosperous, Victor RCA Phonograph, Nipper Dog, Camden. In contrast, across the Delaware River and in view is the high rising sparkling architecture of the downtown business district of Philadelphia, separated from Camden by a few minutes ride on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Callahan deftly captures- using Callahanisms magical language, parables, poems, prose and yes, song - the hopelessness of the poor, unemployed, maltreated, and mentally ill of the real people of the street. The downtrodden sometimes dressing and playing acting roles, waiting for the king, I mean The Wizard to make "Ways" right again. They wander the city streets all day and night without shoes, and in their costumes, funny hats, just trying to survive in the dead city of Camden. There is a lack of food but plenty of drugs and alcohol are the bread of life. They are just trying to find their ways. "Your Father, He made the world uneven. Is it the same in Heaven?" Some brave souls, often the spiritual caring, and fearless Clergy, have moved into the bowels of the inner City to help show The Way. The Chess Game will illuminate the minds of people on both sides of our Culture Divide to better understand that no one has a monopoly on righteous thought on Social Justice in our Country. I believe, however, that most readers will agree with Mr. Callahan that much more must be done to solve the social injustice that exists for many people living side by side with prosperity.
