About this item
Highlights
- "Freedman's vivid, wonderfully affecting book . . . is journalism of the highest order, a compassionate account of a year in the life of an extraordinary man, a charismatic Brooklyn preacher named Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood, . . . .
- Helen Bernstein Book Award 1993 1st Winner
- Author(s): Samuel G Freedman
- 384 Pages
- Social Science, Ethnic Studies
Description
About the Book
In this widely acclaimed bestseller, the author of Small Victories tackles race in America by taking an in-depth look at the pastor of a thriving African American church in one of New York's most desperate slums. Winner of the 1993 Helen B. Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism.Book Synopsis
"Freedman's vivid, wonderfully affecting book . . . is journalism of the highest order, a compassionate account of a year in the life of an extraordinary man, a charismatic Brooklyn preacher named Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood, . . . . A sharply focused, triumphant hymn-shouting wonder of a book documenting the spiritual and worldly struggles of a people grappling with everyday realities that would test the convictions of a saint." --Entertainment Weekly (A)
"Upon This Rock provides a route back to hope for all readers." --Christian Science Monitor
In this widely acclaimed bestseller, Samuel Freedman, the author of Small Victories, tackles another explosive issue, this time race in America, by taking an in-depth look at the pastor of a thriving Black church in one of New York's most desperate slums.
From the Back Cover
In this widely acclaimed bestseller, the author of Small Victories tackles another explosive issue, this time race in America, by taking an in-depth look at the pastor of a thriving black church in one of New York's most desperate slums.Review Quotes
"A testament to how an individual and a group can be innovative, resourceful and brave--and achieve the near-impossible." -- New York Times
"This elegantly written book reawakens us to the fullness of the human spirit." -- Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here
"Freedman's vivid, wonderfully affecting book. . . is journalism of the highest order, a compassionate account of a year in the life of an extraordinary man, a charismatic Brooklyn preacher named Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood, . . . . A sharply focused, triumphant hymn-shouting wonder of a book documenting the spiritual and worldly struggles of a people grappling with everyday realities that would test the convictions of a saint." -- Entertainment Weekly (A)
"A rich book . . . it makes you want to weep with rage." -- Chicago Tribune
"This biography, falling somewhere between journalism and poetry, is full of sweat and struggle." -- Melissa Fay Greene, Los Angeles Times
"The struggles and victories of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church, its pastor and its parishioners, is a story worth telling. The fact that it is so eloquently and captivatingly rendered makes Upon This Rock all the more a worthwhile read and inspiration." -- Black Enterprise
"At a time when most of the nation has written off the possibility of a revitalization of our inner-city neighborhoods, Upon This Rock, provides a route back to hope for all readers." -- Christian Science Monitor
"Vividly captures the story of a man and people who are transforming lives and communities every day." -- Reverend Jesse Jackson
"Brilliant." -- People
"An important book. . . . Its existence is an ostensive definition of the secular miracles we need to discover if we are to survive as a nation of honor." -- Boston Globe