In this award-winning coming-of-age story, two families grapple with the effects of child abuse in 1980s Buffalo, New York. Loretta Ford, an eccentric single mother and religious fanatic, lives a reclusive life with her twelve-year-old son, Shadrack. Convinced that harsh discipline is the only way to save a boy, she uses a brand of corporal punishment that blurs the line between parental love and physical violence. Cornelius Brooks is the mayor of Buffalo. His dysfunctional relationship with his children is threatening to ruin his family and his career. When an unlikely incident brings these two troubled parents face-to-face, what transpires is a meeting full of suspicion, bribery, and a host of secrets raging to get out. Their confrontation sets off a chain of events that will haunt both families forever. Lyrically beautiful and stunningly honest, The Garden of Unfortunate Souls is a masterwork of storytelling by Wheatley Award-winner Eddie Mark.
The Center’s book club takes place on the First Thursday of the month and features books written by WNY authors. Whenever possible, the author will attend the meeting!
For more information, please contact Mary Kozub at 716-878-3156 or email kozubmm@buffalostate.edu.
View the 2019/20 schedule at www.BurchfieldPenney.org.