Moaner's Bench

Sun Hughes, the youngest child of a middle-class family, must learn to deal with life's harsh realities when the Depression reverses his family's fortunes. Sent to live with his Uncle Pet, a proud and zealous Baptist determined to bring religion to his nephew, Sun grows up—and grows wise—as the world his Mama and Papa kept at a distance slowly comes into focus in stark black and white. The powerful metaphor of the moaner's bench—where sinners kneel in church while waiting for the Spirit to strike them into repentance—infuses this often heartbreaking, often hilarious novel of innocence lost. Lyrically written, with a sly sense of humor, The Moaner's Bench is ultimately a story of healing-healing within oneself, healing between oneself and another, and healing within a nation.

Author Biography: Mars Hill was born in Arkansas. He received a BA in Architectural Engineering from a University of Illinois and an MA in African-American Studies as well as a DA in Humanistic Studies from the State University of New York at Albany. He lives with his wife, Alvania, in Albany, New York.