Cross Roads

By Carl Patterson

Southern Pines, North Carolina, is supposed to be a place where you can raise your children and not worry about safety. That was true until single mother Dorothy and her two sons, Bobby and Johnny,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0971702187
• ISBN13: 9780971702189
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Melodrama Publishing
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Struggles in the Big City.

Brothers eight year old Bobby and ten year old Johnny live with their single mother Dorothy Jordan. Born and bred in North Carolina in the late 1950's, the Jordan family encounters tragedy when Dorothy's best friend is murdered. She decides to move her children to New York. While looking for housing in NY, Dorothy leaves the boys with their grandmother...who is also mysteriously murdered. Dorothy is stunned, and quickly moves her boys to Brooklyn New York to start a new life. Being inquisitive, the boys ask their mother all kinds of questions about the killings, which have affected them deeply. Dorothy avoids their questions and enrolls them in school hoping their new surroundings will make them forget what happened back in North Carolina. Bed-Sty Brooklyn is nothing like down south. The apartment is small and the neighborhood is rough with street gangs controlling sections of the neighborhood. Johnny and Bobby settle into new schools, Johnny is smart but quiet and keeps himself occupied by drawing. Bobby the more out going of the two makes friends at school. Dorothy is very protective of her sons and when Bobby unwillingly gets involved with a street gang, and almost gets himself killed she ups and moves the boys to a different neighborhood; Something she does regular making the boys very suspicious of their mother, especially, as she refuses to answer any questions concerning their grandmother's death, leading them to think their mother knows a lot more about the murders than she says. Bobby notices how Johnny sometimes looks at his mother with hatred. Those looks were only the beginning...Little did he know Johnny internalized his feelings and was slowly becoming someone they wouldn't recognize... Bobby and Johnny witness a lot when they were young and impressionable, and were left to speculate on the out come while coming of age in unfamiliar surroundings. This compelling drama, gives us an inside look of the long term effects pain and tragedy can cause if not addressed. Kudos! The cover of this book was very nicely done. I thought the character Bobby was written a little too mature for his age. I enjoyed this story of the brother's struggles to be accepted in the big city. I thought their mother Dorothy would have had some more drama to her past, but I was satisfied with the outcome of the story on a whole. Locksie ARC Book Club Inc. Star Rating ****4.0

A Poignant Story

After tragedy strikes their hometown of Southern Pines, North Carolina, single mother Dorothy and her two young sons Bobby and Johnny relocate to the bustling city of Brooklyn, New York. Although the purpose of the move was for a better life, Brooklyn proves to be a new concern for the young mother as the gang infested city is leaving its lasting impression on her youngest boy, Bobby. Dorothy's continuous moves from one neighborhood to the next further complicate matters and have Bobby bouncing around multiple gang territories, not to mention befriending its members. As Bobby battles with the fast city life and gets hip to the ins and outs of gang life, his brother is approaching his mental breaking point. Through his newly found artistic talent, .Johnny, always the laid back "good son", displays ill-feelings he has harbored for his mother that stem back to his last years in the south. Carl Patterson showcases his talent in this compelling coming of age story told in the voice of the young but mature Bobby. Expecting the same old storyline, I was pleasantly surprised at the freshness and substance of the plot. This novel was touching and real with just the right amount of mystery to make me keep reading. It would come as no surprise to me if we soon see a shelf of books by Mr. Patterson to accompany this exceptional debut. Englishruler ARC Book Club Inc. Star Rating: 5 Stars