Strong Boy, Weak Man - by Earl Robert Key (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Michael DeAngelo Nicholas decided to spill his insides out onto paper at the age of nineteen when he wrote his initial manuscript for Strong Boy, Weak Man. The story's enormous sensitivity and clarity have obviously risen up from the depths of Michael DeAngelo Nicholas' childhood experiences, spilling over into his young adulthood. His story attempts to unravel the poverty-driven culture of the times in rural Mississippi, while rushing to embrace a more promising lifestyle in the glamour-lit, fast-paced Memphis, Tennessee. He shares certain family hardships and disappointments, making them a vital part of the book, and eventually allowing that part to render a happy ending. Michael DeAngelo reveals the intense motivation, drive, and determination he possessed during the worst times. In spite of serious learning deficiencies, intensified by unhappy family issues, he pressed forward to accomplish the special goals he held so deep within.

Review Quotes

Key's immensely detailed novel highlights the limitations and traumas of an underprivileged boy facing the uncertainties of adulthood amid a changing American landscape. -- US Review

Strong Boy, Weak Man is a novel that will entertain and enlighten readers about a boy's journey to manhood. -- Pacific Book Review

Strong Boy, Weak Man is a wonderful story with a promising and likable main character. The storyline is easy to follow and full of interesting events. -- San Francisco Book Review

The book cover for STRONG BOY, WEAK MAN depicts a mighty black man's back under the American flag, implying that the story readers will find inside delves into what it's meant for African American people to have carried the weight of the United States of America on their shoulders for centuries, perhaps in ways comparable to the books by Ta-Nehisi Coates (ie Between the World and Me, etc) currently adding so much to this long-suppressed conversation. And while STRONG BOY, WEAK MAN by Earl Robert Key gets off to a robust beginning, it then falters. -- IndieReader Review