Jesus Boy (2010) by Preston Allen

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

Jesus Boy (2010)

by Preston Allen

Miami, Florida

Florida:  11/21

    Interesting bildungsroman about an African American teenager growing up in south Florida.   The 1,001 Novels description says Jesus Boy is a comic novel, but I didn't find it very funny.   Rather, it read as expose about the foibles of the visibly religious, African American league, Florida division.   After the pressure-cooker race hatred of the deep south, it was at least refreshing to read a book about African American characters where racism doesn't play a major role (also absent, any white or latino characters.)  I find it interesting in books featuring religious characters about how infrequently they do anything besides go to church and cheat on their spouses, and Jesus Boy is no exception, with the plot centerpiece being a year's long relationship between the teenage protagonist (at the beginning) at a forty something widow of a wealthy and deceased elder of the church. 

   There are plenty of dark, hidden secrets, as one would expect going into a novel about a southern church. While I wouldn't characterize Jesus Boy as a satire, it did read as a critique of most, if not all, of the characters involved.   This was the rare 1,001 Novels: A Library of America that held some capacity to surprise and shock me.