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The Library Recommendation: Bedrock Faith
By Rhonda Sewell, Library Media Relations Coordinator
The Truth Contributor
For the book recommendation for September, the Toledo-Lucas
County Public Library recommends one of O, The Oprah
Magazine’s Ten Books to Pick Up Now (April, 2014) – a
work of fiction titled Bedrock Faith by author Eric
Charles May, named one of 25
Writers to Watch by Guild Literary Complex and one of the
Lit 50 2014 by Newcity. Named a Notable African-American
Title by "Publishers Weekly."
"In this vivid, suspenseful, funny, and compassionate novel of
epiphanies, tragedies, and transformations, May drills down
to our bedrock assumptions about ourselves, our values, and
our communities. As sturdy as a Chicago bungalow and
bursting with life, May's debut is perfect for book clubs,"
stated Booklist (starred review). |
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After 14 years in prison, Gerald "Stew Pot" Reeves, age 31,
returns home to live with his mom in Parkland, a black
middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. A
frightening delinquent before being sent away, his return
sends Parkland residents into a religiously-infused
tailspin, which only increases when Stew Pot announces that
he experienced a religious awakening in prison.
Most neighbors are skeptical of this claim, with one notable
exception: Mrs. Motley, a widowed retiree and the Reeves's
next-door neighbor who loans Stew Pot a Bible, which is seen
by Stew Pot and many in the community as a friendly gesture.
With uncompromising fervor (and with a new pit bull named
John the Baptist), Stew Pot appoints himself the moral judge
of Parkland.
Bedrock Faith
is listed as one of the Top Books in African American
Fiction for the Library. Visit toledolibrary.org for
more African-American fiction titles.
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