House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home

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Synopsis
In this otherworldly memoir of extraordinary power, Mark Richard, an award-winning author, tells his story of growing up in the American South with a heady Gothic mix of racial tension and religious fervor. Called a #x1C;special child,#x1D; Southern social code for mentally-and physically-challenged children, Richard was crippled by deformed hips and was told he would spend his adult life in a wheelchair. During his early years in charity hospitals, Richard observed the drama of other broken boys#x19; lives, children from impoverished Appalachia, tobacco country lowlands, and Richmond#x19;s poorest neighborhoods. The son of a solitary alcoholic father whose hair-trigger temper terrorized his family, and of a mother who sought inner peace through fasting, prayer, and scripture, Richard spent his bedridden childhood withdrawn into the company of books. As a young man, Richard, defying both his doctors and parents, set out to experience as much of the world as he could-as a disc jockey, fishing trawler deckhand, house painter, naval correspondent, aerial photographer, private investigator, foreign journalist, bartender and unsuccessful seminarian-before his hips failed him. While digging irrigation ditches in east Texas, he discovered that a teacher had sent a story of his to theAtlantic, where it was named a winner in the magazine#x19;s national fiction contest launching a career much in the mold of Jack London and Mark Twain. A superbly written and irresistible blend of history, travelogue, and personal reflection,House of Prayer No. 2is a remarkable portrait of a writer#x19;s struggle with his faith, the evolution of his art, and of recognizing one#x19;s singularity in the face of painful disability. Written with humor and a poetic force, this memoir is destined to become a modern classic.
Copyright:
2011

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9780385534062
Publisher:
Nan A. Talese
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Mark Richard
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Travel, Biographies and Memoirs, Religion and Spirituality
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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