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few years ago we discovered that Michael Ellis was a published poet. We even featured some of his poems on our website.
Now we have another classmate who has distinguished herself as a writer. I speak of Elloise Dotson Anderson who
just recently published her first novel Finally Got You Now But Be Careful What You Pray For. This
book is sure to hold your attention. While reading Elloise's book, I felt right at home. For
one thing, the entire story takes place in Dallas, the city where I grew up. Elloise so cleverly weaves in familiar
Dallas landmarks such as the West Dallas Projects, Highland Hills, Parkland Hospital, and Glendale Park. Another familiar
element is the time period. The story traces a family through three generations -- from 1976 to the present day.
The most important element is how Elloise portrays her characters. These characters and their issues are
so believable. It is as if I was watching "The Color Purple," "Soul Food," or a Tyler
Perry movie on the big screen. There are people among my family and friends who remind me so much of the cast
in Elloise's book.
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main theme of the book centers around how a dysfunctional family manages to survive despite the many difficult
challenges. Although Elloise sets her novel in Dallas, it portrays life among poor but hard-working African-Americans
in general. Elloise shows how well she understands the dynamics within a dysfunctional family. In
the story we see a family's struggles with teen pregnancy, extra-marital affairs, divorce, same-sex relationships, alcoholism,
common illnesses, unemployment, and crime. But thanks to the powerful influence of the matriarch, the
family is able to emerge stronger particularly in the spiritual sense.
We
congratulate Elloise in her bold attempt to paint a vivid picture of one aspect of American life. Books can be ordered
online. Just go to OutskirtsPress.com and type in the title and author. Elloise states that more books
will not be available until July. In the meantime, she is working on a second novel Leon.
We'll provide details as they become available.
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