{"product_id":"alabama-village-faith-hope-and-survival-in-a-southern-town-9781644214978","title":"Alabama Village: Faith, Hope, and Survival in a Southern Town","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the celebrated writer J. Malcolm Garcia, a narrative nonfiction account of a forgotten Alabama neighborhood through intimate, tender, and gritty profiles of its people as they navigate immense loss and an unassailable determination to overcome their circumstances. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"J. Malcolm Garcia [channels] the empathetic ear of Studs Terkel and the investigative skills of the best literary journalists.\" --Beth Taylor, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Plain Language of Love and Loss\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn Alabama Village, an impoverished and often violent neighborhood south of Mobile, the children no longer flinch at the eruption of gunshots. To them, it's just another day. In this community, few things last--the loss of life is relentless, and relief efforts come and go. But John and Dolores Eads, a devout Christian couple who established Light of the Village church, stay. They spread their mission: lead with love, faith, and consistency--and don't condemn or judge. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn interlacing chapters, award-winning journalist J. Malcolm Garcia follows the lives of the Alabama Village community and the kids who grew up at Light of the Village church. Da'Cino Dees saw his first shooting at eight years old and now works at Light of the Village; Aaron \"Billy Boy\" Amison has been dreaming about dead people since he was little and has been in and out of jail since he was fourteen; Jesenda Brown hopes to escape poverty by starting her own cleaning business; and although Corey \"Bigg Man\" Davis has accrued exuberant wealth from unknown sources, his personality is marked by his kindhearted generosity. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese striking, raw, and humanizing portraits, among others, showcase the Village and its people, in all its devastation and resilient determination. \u003ci\u003eAlabama Village \u003c\/i\u003eis an ode to communities and the individual narratives that make them whole.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e J. Malcolm Garcia\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Seven Stories Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/04\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.50w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781644214978\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/25\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLiterary investigative reporter \u003cb\u003eJ. Malcolm Garcia\u003c\/b\u003e was a social worker and director of a homeless services agency, where he assisted unhoused people in San Francisco for fourteen years before he made the jump into journalism in 1997. His books include \u003ci\u003eThe Khaarijee: A Chronicle of Friendship and War in Kabul\u003c\/i\u003e (2009); \u003ci\u003eWhat Wars Leave Behind \u003c\/i\u003e(2014); \u003ci\u003eWithout A Country: The Untold Story of America's Deported Veterans\u003c\/i\u003e (2017); and \u003ci\u003eRiding through Katrina with the Red Baron's Ghost\u003c\/i\u003e (2018), as well as three books from Seven Stories Press: \u003ci\u003eThe Fruit of All My Grief: Lives in the Shadows of the American Dream\u003c\/i\u003e (2018); \u003ci\u003eMost Dangerous, Most Unmerciful: Stories from Afghanistan \u003c\/i\u003e(2022); and \u003ci\u003eOut of the Rain: A Novel\u003c\/i\u003e (2024). In June 2025, \u003ci\u003eOut of the Rain\u003c\/i\u003e was longlisted for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. Garcia's work has been anthologized in \u003ci\u003eBest American Travel Writing\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBest American Nonrequired Reading\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBest American Essays\u003c\/i\u003e, and he is a recipient of the Studs Terkel Prize and the Sigma Delta Chi Award for a series on burn pits and how they affected American service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Garcia is the nephew of celebrated Puerto Rican actor José Ferrer, winner of the inaugural Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role as Cyrano in the film \u003ci\u003eCyrano de Bergerac\u003c\/i\u003e, and the grandson of Rafael Ferrer (1885-1951), an esteemed essayist and lawyer. Garcia has been a regular contributor to \u003ci\u003eGuernica\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSalon\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eVirginia Quarterly Review\u003c\/i\u003e, among others. He lives in the San Diego area.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"J. Malcolm Garcia \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47463993082013,"sku":"9781644214978","price":39.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_37641abf-973d-49ee-a182-9da4a339c8a6.jpg?v=1764943214","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/alabama-village-faith-hope-and-survival-in-a-southern-town-9781644214978","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}