On Trembling Ground
Book Details
Author(s)A. P. Newell
PublisherBSC Productions
ISBN / ASIN0615603890
ISBN-139780615603896
AvailabilityUsually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank810,745
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
Modeled after the town of Monroe, NC during the race riots of 1961, the fictional town of Mason is the setting for On Trembling Ground, a novel of equal parts history, tragedy, and romance that follows the McAllister brothers, both seeking redemption in the tragic roles thrust upon them by the local circumstances.
Franklin and Harley have not spoken since Franklin stopped writing Harley letters from the front lines of WWII, having learned that on D-Day as he landed on Normandy, Harley abandoned their parents for the road and music fame. Over a decade has passed, it is 1958, and Franklin has quietly joined the Klan to preserve the "Christian way of life." But then Harley returns, the prodigal son, and the growing racial tensions in Monroe force the two brothers, long divided by their notions of family and country, to reckon with their pasts anew and pledge their allegiances with more at stake than ever before.
Franklin, feeling Harley has lost his mind to "colored" music and forgotten where he comes from, becomes consumed by rage at Harley's mixing with the "agitators" in town. Franklin's youngest son, Riley, starts taking guitar lessons from Harley just as Franklin is desperate to protect Riley from Harley's influence. At the naïve suggestion of their parents, Franklin takes Harley to a Klan meeting where he is asked to play in an all-white band for an upcoming rally. Harley refuses, pushing Franklin to the limit of his tolerance. Harley shuns the Klan to join an interracial band endorsed by the Robert Williams' armed resistance. With the Freedom Riders coming to Monroe, it's an opportunity for Harley to be heard by a national audience, but it's the last straw for Franklin. In an act of revenge worthy of Harley's betrayal, he conspires to put a violent end to his brother's musical career.
Franklin and Harley have not spoken since Franklin stopped writing Harley letters from the front lines of WWII, having learned that on D-Day as he landed on Normandy, Harley abandoned their parents for the road and music fame. Over a decade has passed, it is 1958, and Franklin has quietly joined the Klan to preserve the "Christian way of life." But then Harley returns, the prodigal son, and the growing racial tensions in Monroe force the two brothers, long divided by their notions of family and country, to reckon with their pasts anew and pledge their allegiances with more at stake than ever before.
Franklin, feeling Harley has lost his mind to "colored" music and forgotten where he comes from, becomes consumed by rage at Harley's mixing with the "agitators" in town. Franklin's youngest son, Riley, starts taking guitar lessons from Harley just as Franklin is desperate to protect Riley from Harley's influence. At the naïve suggestion of their parents, Franklin takes Harley to a Klan meeting where he is asked to play in an all-white band for an upcoming rally. Harley refuses, pushing Franklin to the limit of his tolerance. Harley shuns the Klan to join an interracial band endorsed by the Robert Williams' armed resistance. With the Freedom Riders coming to Monroe, it's an opportunity for Harley to be heard by a national audience, but it's the last straw for Franklin. In an act of revenge worthy of Harley's betrayal, he conspires to put a violent end to his brother's musical career.
