#A Story of Redemption
What would you do if you suffered a sudden, severe, and highly publicized fall from grace? Would you run? Seek out a quiet life of anonymity? Or would you find a way to pick yourself back up?
"Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way is a mesmerizing look at one man’s fall from grace and the age-old struggle for redemption... Finding himself outcast and reviled not only by society but also by his beloved family, he retreats to his roots, seeking to reclaim the values that brought him the success and esteem he once enjoyed. James Henry Ferguson becomes plain old Mr. Jimmy to his new neighbors in a poverty-stricken town in rural Mississippi, and it is there he finds the true meaning of love, respect, and community. This tender story is for any of us who have fallen and found the only way up is by reaching out a hand to others." - Cassandra King, author of Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
#JOIN
Meet author Jeffrey Blount at our next Lit Chat Interview on Wednesday, January 31, at 7 p.m. The event will take place live at the Pablo Creek Library (and live on Zoom). A book signing will follow the interview. Books will be available to purchase in advance and on-site from The Bookmark.
#Watch the Book Trailer
Jeffrey Blount is the award-winning author of four novels, including Almost Snow White, Hating Heidi Foster, The Emancipation of Evan Walls, and Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way. He is also an Emmy award-winning television director and a 2016 inductee to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. During a 34-year career at NBC News, Jeffrey directed a decade of Meet The Press, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and major special events. He is the first African American to direct The Today Show.
He was a contributor for HuffPost and has been published in The Washington Post, The Grio.com and other publications, commenting on issues of race, social justice, and writing.
Interviewer Fati D. Ashley is a Ghanaian-American literary and visual artist who resides in Florida. She holds a Master of Arts in English (Rhetoric and Composition) from the University of North Florida. Her poem “Cape Coast” was performed in Echoes of Us, a series of curated monologues, directed by Tony Award nominee Michele Shay in 2022. She is the Editor-in-Chief for The Banyan Review, a 2023 Best of the Net nominee, and a 2023 Fellow of The Craft Institute, "a non-profit organization dedicated to curating culturally inclusive ecosystems throughout the world of arts and entertainment..." Ashley consults and facilitates workshops for Authors Roundtable of North Florida and teaches creative writing at Jacksonville Arts and Music School.
#READ
Check out Jeffrey's work from the library!
#THE LIBRARY RECOMMENDS
More books about finding yourself and your community:
- The Gone Dead, by Chanelle Benz
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride
- The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
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