HOME    |    FEATURES     |      FAVORITES    |     SOCIAL SCENES

  SOMETHING SCRUMPTIOUS    |  UPCOMING EVENTS   |    ABOUT     |    BLOG

September/October 2022 FROM THE STACKS
A Song of Hope tells the story of fourteen-year-old Jesse Christopher, who lives in a modest home with his grandmother Thelma in the fictitious “Wrightside” neighborhood, nicknamed Troubletown because young men like Jesse are more frequently named in police reports than society pages. Wrightside is named after famed international author Richard Wright, who was the grandson of sharecroppers and who actually lived in Natchez for a brief time. Given the age of its young protagonist, this book appears to be written for early and middle teens; however, it provides an enjoyable experience for a wide range of readers. Jesse’s talent is not writing, but singing; and he is mentored by the likeable music teacher Arwin Shelton, who has taken Jesse under his wing. Jesse, though, becomes caught in a web of lies and misdeeds from which he can seem to find no way out. Now, about the church. By accident, Jesse finds refuge in the church and is enthralled by the exquisite statuary, stained glass windows, and murals. The church has an almost mystical magnetism for Jesse as evidenced in this passage: Jesse rubbed his eyes. Before him was a most magnificent sight: an expanse some sixty feet wide and one-hundred-fifty feet long. The ceiling, some two-hundred feet from the floor, was like the sky, a canopy of blue with gold trim and painted stars. But this was no flat ceiling; it was a series of wide arches supported by eight great cream-colored columns. Intricately carved designs decorated the arches. Woven throughout the story are the songs “Amazing Grace” and “Here I Am, Lord” that are important to Jesse because their lyrics inspire and intrigue him even though he has no religious training. For example, the last verse of “Amazing Grace” describes Jesse’s wonderment at the words: When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun. He did not know why, but he liked that final verse best; he surmised it had something to do with the first two lines: “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.” He had no clue to whom the song referred or where those people had been ten thousand years and why they should be bright shining as the sun, but the words had some sense of wonder and power. In addition to depicting St. Mary Basilica, LaFrancis also weaves into this tale Natchez’s importance in history, particularly African American history. For instance, when Mr. Shelton schools Jesse about how Richard Wright managed to escape the bonds of poverty and prejudice, he takes Jesse to the house where Wright lived and to the site of the Civil-War-era slave market “Forks of the Road” where Wright’s ancestors were brought as slaves and sold to area plantations. LaFrancis even references the great Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration which bestows the Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award every year to a noted author. Jesse also experiences the fascination of the famous Natchez Bluff and the Mississippi River where cruise ships and commercial barges still travel. Life for Jesse, though, becomes rough as his friend and nemesis Tony tempts him to join the “dark side” of Troubletown, further complicating the young teen’s struggles: Jesse always lived life on the edge; he had come to believe that was the way everyone lived. Life was supposed to be tough. Maybe that guy Richard Wright got out, but he was one in a million. As Tony often said, “The only people who fail are those who deserve to fail.” To avoid a spoiler, suffice it to say that A Song of Hope has a big ending, the kind for which LaFrancis is known. He was strongly influenced by the books and movies of his formative years in the 1950s and 1960s, and he often says he tries to see the stories unfold like a movie as he writes. All five previous novels (which indeed are intended for young audiences) have the same literary treatment, and all are set in and around Natchez. Also, they are chapter books and fast-paced reads. This structure allows experienced readers to breeze through the novels while giving less-advanced readers confidence that they, too, can enjoy his work. A professional film maker, journalist, poet, and teacher, LaFrancis strives to give readers satisfying, memorable stories. A Song of Hope definitely fulfills that mission. For additional information about this novel, visit www.gmarklafrancis.com, Amazon.com/G. Mark LaFrancis. Beginning writers are often told, “Write what you know.” The same advice holds true for veteran writers. In his latest novel, G. Mark LaFrancis of Natchez, Mississippi, follows that advice with abundance. A Song of Hope: A Spiritual Suspense Novel is set in Natchez, where LaFrancis lives, and is filled with scenes inside St. Mary Basilica, the magnificent Roman Catholic Church in the heart of downtown. In fact, the church in a way becomes a major “character” in the story. LaFrancis and his family have attended St. Mary Basilica since they arrived in Natchez in 1990. A Song of Hope is his homage to the church where he and his wife still serve as lectors. The book is dedicated in part to the late Reverend Al Camp, who once served as pastor of St. Mary Basilica

 

2014 Copyright Bluffs & Bayous Magazine All Rights Reserved  |  225 John R. Junkin Dr., Natchez, Mississippi 39120, 601.442.6847