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black neighbors for Orbie’s taste, not to mention the local Pentecostal congregation of snake handlers. Soon, however, he finds his worldviews changing, particularly when it comes to matters of race, religion and the true cause of his father’s death
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[Owens] renders a child’s viewpoint with great psychological sensitivity: “I didn’t like the way [Victor] was all the time trying to be on my mind. It was too close together somehow—like when Momma started talking about Jesus and wouldn’t shut up.” Then Like the Blind Man, Orbie’s Story by Freddie Owens
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hile fiction about the 1950s Civil Rights era is far from rare, few capture the period and struggles from the perspective of a white child. This is the story of one such child and the forces he must overcome to restore order in his world.
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Nine-year-old Orbie already has his cross to bear. After the death of his father, his mother, Ruby has off and married Victor, a slick talking man with a snake tattoo. Orbie hates his stepfather more than he can stand, a fact that lands him at his grandparents’ place in Harlan’s Crossroads, Kentucky. There he grudgingly adjusts to life with his doting Granny and carping Grandpa, who are a bit too keen on their
“A psychologically astute, skillful, engrossing and satisfying novel.” * Starred For Exceptional Merit —Kirkus Reviews * “In an American coming-ofage novel, the author presents a stunning story with clarity and historical accuracy, rich in illuminating the Appalachian culture of the time period.” —Publisher’s Weekly * “Every once in awhile, you read a book in which every element fits together so perfectly that you just sit back in awe at the skill of the storyteller. Then Like the Blind Man is one of these books.” —The San Francisco Book Review * Best In Literary Fiction / Indie Reader Discovery Award An Amazon Bestseller!