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William Hart's "Never Fade Away" is about corruption in the California university system in the way immigrant students are treated. The main narrator is an English teacher, John Goddard, who is a veteran of the war in Vietnam. The second narrator is one of his students, Tina Le. She is Vietnamese, a survivor of a horrific escape from Vietnam. She is now alone in California haunted by the loss of her family. The story unfolds as the teacher and the student alternately tell the story of their relationship and Goddard's fight against the system, with Tina Le caught in the middle of the battle.
John Goddard's story is one of a frustrated teacher, hating the bureaucratic system and his colleagues, but dedicated to his students and their success. Thus, becoming a hero in the eyes of the students. On the other hand, the rest of the faculty at this institution feel that he is coddling the students who don't have the potential to succeed as evidenced by their scores in introductory English classes. This is really a story about the use and abuse of power in higher education, where faculty members have all the power and students have none.
