When eleven-year-old Sam Webber's father disappears without a trace, he and his mother are forced to relocate to a tough neighborhood, closer to her job. Unfamiliar with his surroundings and intimidated by the students of his new school, Sam recounts the sometimes frightening, sometimes delightful details of his life with touching, humorous sincerity. Living in a tiny apartment, he is forced to deal with the legacy of depression that marked his father, and threatens to envelop him. The city remains a cold and unwelcoming place to Sam until he meets Greely, an elderly black janitor at his junior high. Through this unlikely friendship, Sam begins to heal, as well as confront the racism that surrounds his community, and his life. Tracing a year in the life of an exceptional young boy, newcomer Jonathon Scott Fuqua leaves an impression that endures like a watermark. A masterfully written novel full of beautifully drawn, unforgettable characters, The Reappearance of Sam Webber is only the first from a top writer whose talented storytelling will touch every reader.
Another "To Kill A Mockingbird"?This ADVANCE PRAISE makes me proud to publish Jonathon Scott Fuqua AND The Re-Appearance of Sam Webber
"Jonathon Scott Fuqua has a wonderfully detailed and affectionate knowledge of Baltimore, its culture and communities, here expressed in both picture and story. A Bildungsroman with a bittersweet twist, The Re-Appearance of Sam Webber is the sort of novel that can be called 'heartwarming' without irony." --MADISON SMARTT BELL, AUTHOR OF ALL SOULS RISING AND TEN INDIANS
"A year in the life of a Baltimore boy provides the basis for a formidable portrait of urban American life...A warming exploration..." --KIRKUS REVIEWS
"This debut novel...addresses prejudice and overcoming urban fears...The characters present a realistic picture of the trials in a single-parent family...Highly recommended not only for adults and educators but for teenagers living in urban areas." --LIBRARY JOURNAL
"A white 11-year-old becomes fast friends with a black janitor and learns about racism, loss, grief, forgiveness and the landscape of Baltimore in this heartfelt ... debut...Fuqua...has a sensitive understanding of the shaky emotional terrain of preadolescence, and he displays a good ear for dialogue and an intimate feel for Baltimore's rowhouses, creaky buses, and broad sidewalks..." --PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
"Sharing football in the park and lunches in the school cafeteria, their [Sam and Greely's] relationship fills a void in Sam's life. As their friendship develops, it also becomes obvious that Greely needs Sam as much as Sam needs Greely ... A slow-paced story, filled with expertly detailed descriptions of Baltimore and well-drawn characters." --BOOKLIST
"Besides being an extraordinarily warm and engaging novel, The Re-Appearance of Sam Webber is, in its own understated way, one of the most vivid accounts of depression and its intergenerational effects. I will recommend it to friends and family, colleagues and patients, as a tale of the power of resilience to stand up to it all." --DANIEL L. BUCCINO, M.A., M.S.W., CO-DIRECTOR, THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON BRIEF THERAPY INSTITUTE
"Sam captured me on page one. Spending a year in his life and watching him build a new family was a great experience. Fuqua communicates beautifully the landscape of Baltimore as well as of a young boy in turmoil." --NANCY MAGNUSON, LIBRARIAN, GOUCHER COLLEGE
"Sam, the eleven-year-old protagonist of this fine first novel, has a loving mother who has loyal friends, and he finds a protector at school. And just these few relationships prove to be an entire village that raises this child...I wish Fuqua had written a longer book! He has re-created life in eighties Baltimore...It's a Bawlamer book, Hon-and Sam Webber is going to be a winner!" --MARY S. DAGOLD, LIBRARIAN, EDITH HAMILTON LIBRARY, THE BRYN MAWR SCHOOL
