Bestselling author Douglas S. Reed chatted about his book “Child of Gilead: A Novel.”
Book Description
The Boy, a 10-year-old, lives a quiet, ordinary life on a nice, safe block in the City. He rides his bike to the pizzeria and playground, goes to school and church, and stays away from a nearby housing project – Gilead Towers – where his mother doesn’t allow him to go. The boy has been warned to stay in safety and stay where his mother can protect him, but he is growing up and wishes to spread his wings, so he chafes a little at his mother’s rules.
One day, a new tenant, known simply as the Old Man, comes to stay in the basement apartment that the Boy’s mother, a teacher, rents out. The man was a friend of the Boy’s grandfather and has returned to see for himself how life has been for the young mother and child.
Meanwhile, there are predators watching nearby seeing the boy as prey and some know more of the boy’s history than he does himself. The mother questions God because of a tragic, senseless event has happened, and her past is checkered with other sorrowful events. She shares her pain with a local preacher who struggles with how to guide her and the rest of his church.
All the while, the boy is learning the place of religion and what he believes through the lens of the life he sees around him. He is thoughtful – thanks to his mother’s care. The Boy knows how to listen and learn, process, and then go forward.
Soon it becomes apparent why the Old Man has returned – he’s there to settle the score with those who have harmed the young mother in the past.
As Child of Gilead builds through increasingly dramatic scenes we wonder: will the mother give in to her sadness and give up? Will the boy toss aside her careful and wise teaching to impulsively go along a darker path? Will the ruthless, greedy, and bad influences have their way against a solitary man who has grown old and possibly too weak to help?
Biography
He is an educator and author of the novels ‘Child of Gilead’ and ‘Garden’s Corner’. Born in Queens, New York, his early travels as a teen and young adult took him to such places as Greenwich, CT, and Syracuse University where he received a degree in Communications Management from the Samuel I. Newhouse School of Communications.
Upon graduation, he journeyed off to Los Angeles where I was initiated and gained experience in the motion picture industry. While on the West Coast, he worked for Walt Disney Pictures/Touchstone Films in Burbank.
With my return to New York, I worked as a freelance Script Analyst for New Line Cinema and Vision Media/Greyhound Films where my duties included reading and evaluating literary material for the screen.
Seeking to realize the inception of my own company and thereby get involved in more personal and independent-minded film and literary projects, he created Kataza Films and, by extension, Kataza Books.
A mid-career change saw the pursuit of my other passion, teaching and working with young people. As a New York City Teaching Fellow, he earned a Master of Science degree in Primary Education from Lehman College and served as an elementary school teacher at Public School 62 (Bronx, NY).
He currently teaches at the Elliot Primary School (Devsonshire, Bermuda). He is the Founder and Head Coach of Team Hurricane Basketball Academy and he also coaches Boys Varsity Basketball at Mount Saint Agnes Academy. When away from the classroom and the basketball court, he is living quietly and peacefully on the beautiful island of Bermuda with his wife, Lisa, and stepchildren Jalen and Mia.
‘Child of Gilead: A Novel’ recently became a bestseller what was that like for you on a professional and personal level?
On a professional and personal level, it has been amazing. Having a bestseller means I’ve had the opportunity to share a story that is very personal to me while giving me an opportunity to reach a large, book-loving audience.
All books have a story about their creation, what’s the story behind ‘Child of Gilead: A Novel’?
‘Child of Gilead’ initially began as a detective story of a NYC Police Detective trying to solve the murder of a young musician, while paralleling the story of this detective’s search of his missing brother. But that story wasn’t working even though I was trying to write something personal about two brothers who took different paths in life.
That version didn’t seem to have as deep of a connection to my own life experiences that I need in order to write stories. But what remained from the setting of that detective story was a corner store that I used to go to in my old Brooklyn neighborhood.
It sold candy, magazines, comic books, newspapers, anything, and everything. It was a family-owned and operated business but seemed a little out of place as the neighborhood was beginning to change. I began to imagine a story of a family trying to maintain and keep that corner store amid the madness and challenges of our present-day society.
This coincided with me beginning a second career in primary education. As I worked on the novel, my experiences as a teacher and dealing with young children from the inner city informed much of the observations and emotions that both characters, Hannah and the Boy, express in the story.
This book has had a lot of well-deserved success. What do you hope people take away with them when they finish the last page of this rather epic read?
Don’t be afraid to stand alone and take the road less traveled. When people finish reading the novel, I hope they have come to see the need to be defiant and hold true to your convictions, and not let the challenges and sometimes madness of present-day society prevent you from living the quiet and peaceful life you desire.
What was one of the challenges you faced while writing ‘Child of Gilead: A Novel’ and conversely one of your successes?
The main challenge was time. I’m a primary school teacher (Grade 4) as well as a basketball coach with my own basketball academy, Team Hurricane Basketball Academy. So, I had to use my time wisely, but that is sometimes hard because I typically write in spurts when I’d be better served if I could maintain a consistent writing schedule.
The COVID outbreak gave me the opportunity to devote much-needed quiet time to write, as Bermuda was in a massive lockdown – I could only travel ½ mile away from my home at its peak.
Since this book has been so very popular with readers and reviewers I am sure people are wondering what’s next. Do you have another book in the works you can tell us about?
I am working on a dystopian parable with yet another young protagonist. The young boy named David is in search of a far-off land that will allow him to be free from the authoritative society and its rulers who seek to keep its people imprisoned.
What is your favorite drink to celebrate with when you finish a new book?
I’m not a drinker, but whenever I finish a new book, or ready for lunch…or ready for dinner…I ALWAYS head for my drink of choice…Dr. Pepper!
“Child of Gilead: A Novel” by Douglas S. Reed is available on Amazon by clicking here.
