Down Home Blues - Softcover

Phyllis R. Dixon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0974954004 ISBN 13: 9780974954004

Publisher: New Generation Press, 2016

Synopsis

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." Eden, Arkansas is a town you are from, not move to. But when divorce, foreclosure, domestic violence, and an all-expense paid trip (also called prison) disrupt the Washington siblings perfectly planned lives, they end up back down home. Instead of serenity, sibling rivalries, divided loyalties and money squabbles resurface. Even the good news, that there may be natural gas on their father s land, causes conflict. When their father, C.W. Washington, one of the largest landowners in the county, announces his engagement, barely six months after his wife s death, his daughters fear Viagra is clouding his judgement (his sons say go for it). Homemade preserves and family dinners are welcome by-products of the move down home. Unfortunately, family members aren t always singing in the same key. But just a few notes can switch a gloomy blues tune to the soundtrack for a good time. What song will the Washingtons play?

About this title

About the Author:

Ms. Dixon is the author of the novel, Forty Acres, and Let the Brother Go If... which she co-wrote with Ms. Dupree, formerly of the syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show. She is a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the African American Woman s Soul, and has written for American Legacy magazine and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She resides in Memphis, Tennessee.

Review:

There's a whole lotta of shakin' going on in this book! Ms. Dixon produced a rich drama with all the ingredients to hold our attention. --Dwight Fryer Author and NAACP Image Award Nominee

Phyllis Dixon has penned another riveting Southern family drama. Down Home Blues delves into many serious issues that affect our families and our community. I loved this book even more than her first novel, Forty Acres. --Evelyn Palfrey, Essence Magazine best selling author

Phyllis Dixon's novel, Forty Acres began the story, and it was supposed to have ended there - but superior works tend to not end quietly, but compel readers to seek more - thus Down Home Blues was born from a combination of reader request and author inspiration. One might presume, from this beginning, that a prerequisite would be familiarity with Forty Acres, but thankfully, this is not the case: each book stands alone, and while Down Home Blues continues the stories of the Washington protagonists who were introduced in Forty Acres, it doesn't leave newcomers lost and wandering, but introduces prior events and people with just a few references and descriptions. Phyllis R. Dixon doesn't just describe events and circumstances that befall her characters: she uses the first-person to its maximum advantage, allowing each character to explore their thoughts, reactions, and experiences, which range from midlife crises and loss to the winding complexity of legal agreements and relationship changes. Does 'for better or for worse' apply under all conditions? Down Home Blues does a fantastic job of exploring how individuals and families interrelate and how their choices influence wider events in the greater world, making it a recommendation for novel readers who want their action driven by strong characters and their views of life's winding directions tempered by a better understanding of psychological motivation. --D. Donovan Midwest Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: New Generation Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0974954004
• ISBN 13: 9780974954004
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 286