Missing Isaac

Historical Fiction
Fleming H. Revell Company
January 2, 2018
Paperback
352
December 28, 2017

There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac.
It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete--and the people he loves most--will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.
Missing Isaac swallowed me whole! I was so taken with the story that it was hard to put down. The last two nights, I was up until 4:00 a.m. turning pages because I didn’t want to stop. That’s how much I enjoyed it!
What Makes Missing Isaac So Good?
I’ve struggled with putting my finger on what made this book so enjoyable to me.
Think of reading a story like driving a car. Most times, when I get behind the wheel, I’m only interested in getting from point A to point B. With Missing Isaac, I find myself driving down a country road, with so much contrasting beauty and disaster around me that I want to slow down, open the windows, and just savor the ride! Continue reading Missing Isaac