Southern Man - Greg Iles

Greg Iles is a brilliant author. I've read everything he's written and enjoyed each and every one. The long awaited Southern Man, is newly released.

Southern Man takes place fifteen years, after the end of Mississippi Blood. Much has happened in those years and as Iles details what is going on Penn, I had a mental image of a war horse - older, scarred, tired but in it for the battle.

But what is that battle? Natchez is literally burning again. Is it is a new chapter in a long running race war? A son of the south is gunning for another race - that of the President and White House. He's got a shot at it, but at what cost?

The cost has been high for Penn, his family and his friends. The effort to set things right has taken many lives. The political machinations taking place closed doors, and on doorsteps is frightening. History seems to be repeating itself over and over. Hate.

Southern Man is an amazing story told from many time periods and voices. The slave histories were hard to read. As were the current happenings. I must be really naive as the backroom politics shocked me. Lives used as pawns and moved strategically. But then I thought again - this too has happened in the near past.

Iles has penned an incredible book with a myriad of plot lines and a plethora of characters. The tension never lets up as the narrative races to a finale I couldn't have imagined. But one that isn't too far from the truth. Bravo Greg Iles. 

See for yourself - read an excerpt of Southern Man. 

Small Mercies - Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane takes us back to Boston in his latest book Small Mercies.

It's 1974 and the schools are being desegregated - and the neighborhood of Southie is determined that's not to happen. The Irish American neighborhood crime gang is the one who make the rules in Southie - not the cops. Alongside this, a dead black teenager is found at the train station - and a white teen is missing. 

Small Mercies is told through Mary Pat Fennessy's eyes. She's lived her whole life in the Southie housing projects. She's tough and has suffered much over the years - losing her husband, son and now her daughter is missing. This conflux of events sparks something in Mary Pat. She's had enough, lost enough and isn't going to back down this time. I loved Mary Pat - she does bad things for the right reason. She made me cry for her and her losses, for a hard life, for the limits life handed out to her. But she's trying to see things from another perspective. The other character I really was Bobby - a cop in the neighborhood. He thinks before he does, he's calm and sees the big picture.

Racism is a large part of  Small Mercies - and it's darn hard to read. This is 49 years ago, and truly, what has changed? (More tears from this reader.)

Lehane is a fantastic writer. Small Mercies is hard to read, but impossible to put down. You'll be thinking about it long after the last page is turned. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Small Mercies.

Gentle readers - there are triggers in Small Mercies with violence leading the pack.

Perception: A Photo Series - KC Adams

No matter what you think - you've done it, I've done it. Made a snap judgement about someone based on an initial look or meeting. And how many times have you been wrong?

KC Adams has just released Perception: A Photo Series - 'a project to combat racism and present First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in the way they see themselves.' This was initially a project in Winnipeg.

Two photos. First you see the one taken while hateful words are hurled at the sitter. And on the following page, the same person, but now thinking of joy and happiness. And the truth.

The result is powerful. I sat and pondered every face and then the flip side. And the difference is 'in your face', if you will. Truly eye opening. Perception should be in schools as a starting point for discussions that need to happen.