Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

“Child of Gilead,” by Douglas S. Reed, (an author of color), has won the 2020 BookLife Fiction Prize. BookLife is a website run by Publishers Weekly for self-published authors. Its annual fiction prize comes with $5,000 and promotional support.

Reed was born in Queens and is now a primary school teacher in Bermuda. “Child of Gilead” is his second novel. It’s an unusual work of urban life heavily inflected with Biblical allusions. The main narrator is a young boy whose single mother must contend with the return of a figure from her past.

“It’s a story of family relationships and changing neighborhoods,” BookLife editor Matia Madrona Query said. “It’s a book about ghosts and a book about storytelling. Douglas S. Reed layers his novel with parables and poetry, while his characters resonate with readers as relatable and real.”

Thanks William!

Okay, I've added the prize to the book page on Goodreads here Child of Gilead: A Novel. Douglas, do you have an author photo I can add that I can find online? Or are you the one who set up your page and can add it?

Thanks so much Karin! I do have an author photo on my website
https://www.hurricanegroupauthorwixsi...

I was having problem adding the problem adding a pic, so any help you can provide would be great. Thanks again, Karin!

Karin wrote: "Okay, I've added the prize to the book page on Goodreads here Child of Gilead: A Novel. Douglas, do you have an author photo I can add that I can find online? Or are you the one who..."

Hi Karin,

I finally figured out how to post a pic. :-) Thanks for the support!

Douglas wrote: "Karin wrote: "Okay, I've added the prize to the book page on Goodreads here Child of Gilead: A Novel. Douglas, do you have an author photo I can add that I can find online? Or are y..."

Great, I'm glad that was done. I have marked it want to read so I'll remember it, but I have a big pile of books here this month.

Many self-published books aren't that good, in my experience, but some are, and given that you have won that award I want to try it. After all, Andy Weir's The Martian was initially self-published (totally different kind of book, but well done). Plus I have read a couple of other good ones--they exist but can be hard to find.

Karin wrote: "Douglas wrote: "Karin wrote: "Okay, I've added the prize to the book page on Goodreads here Child of Gilead: A Novel. Douglas, do you have an author photo I can add that I can find ..."

Thanks for marking it Want-to-Read. Hopefully, you'll be able to read it.

If you haven't done so already, I invite you to check out my Kirkus and the 2 reviews here on Goodreads.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

The reviews capture the spirit of the book. It's a challenging read, that starts off at a leisurely pace but soon gives way to exploring big ideas and themes.

Again thanks again for your support!