The Book of Samuel

I got to read Eric Raschke's novel, The Book of Samuel after discovering it at his booksigning a few months ago.
It does an amazing job of capturing the heart of a twelve-year-old trying to figure out the world around him.  I particularly liked the parents--each very idealistic, but with different ideals. Interesting that the pursuit of those ideals pulled them apart rather than together.

The theme of racism--not the 1950's version, but the 1980's version--was also well done through the eyes of a twelve-year-old. The portrayal seemed more accurate than what we seem to get on television. There was no simple path and the character of Samuel's confusion is easy to relate to.

I really like Eric's 'voice' as a writer. It was engaging.  And so very, very real.

To the first reader, who comments, I will send an autographed copy of the book. (I bought a spare when I was there.)  Make sure I know how to contact you--even if you just leave your e-mail address for a moment, then we can delete or edit the comment later.

Enjoy!