In Baltimore City during the Great Depression, six-year-old Smitty is a hard working shoeshine boy despite his lame arm. Each member of his family does their part, so young Smitty drops his hard-earned coins into the coffee can labeled Rent. The Smiths might be money poor, but they're rich with love and laughter. Though his parents try Smitty can't be protected from the ugliness - the cruel prejudice that waits outside the boundaries of their poor, colored neighborhood called Sandtown. As a teenager Smitty's world crumbles when he learns the heartbreaking truths of his unwanted birth and mixed up family tree. Convinced he's a body he runs away from home and begins his search for significance. It takes nearly dying and the unwanted friendship of a white man for Smitty to discover the somebody he was born to be. Dr. Tony Evnas wrote the foreword for this biographical vel based on the life of his uncle Rev. Dr. James Smith, a major influence in Evans' formative years. The Legacy of Nobody Smith is based on interviews recorded during the last month's of Smith's life. He reflected on the fears that plagued him, the father who loved him, and the faith that carried him. With honesty and tenderness Smitty shared about becoming best friends with a white man, years before racial reconciliation was a fashionable phrase. Rich with history and humor, every page of The Legacy of Nobody Smith invites readers to witness the life of an insignificant body discovering he's actually the cherished child of a loving God. Profits to benefit The Urban Alternative and The Helping Up Mission of Baltimore. Ms. Payne masterfully immerses the reader in a time gone by. Julie Zine Coleman, Author of Unexpected Love (Thomas Nelson, 2013)
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Leslie Basil Payne
ISBN-10
0692636935
ISBN-13
9780692636930
eBay Product ID (ePID)
223418401
Additional Product Features
Content Note
Black & White Illustrations
Author Biography
Leslie Basil Payne's writing has appeared in local and national magazines, and in several anthologies including Guideposts' Expecting Miracles and Dr. Gary Chapman's Love is a Verb. She is a member of ACFW and lives outside of Baltimore. You can learn more at her website www.LeslieBasilPayne.com.
