THE HARRIS FAMILY by R.M. Johnson is a riveting story of love, loss, and second chances..
This sequel to The Harris Men picks up five years after the previous book ended, reintroducing readers to guilt-plagued patriarch Julius Harris and his three estranged sons: Austin, Marcus and Caleb..
Five years after his attempt at reconciliation, Julius learns that his cancer is in remission, and he begins to hope for another opportunity to reconnect with his sons. Since he was able to win over Caleb, he spends most of his effort working on Marcus and Austin. Along the way, the narrative shifts between Julius and each of his progeny, all of whom have grown up with some pretty serious character defects, as a result of not having a father around during their formative years. Austin, the oldest, is an arrogant lawyer who's willing to play custody games with his kids just to get back at his ex-wife. Marcus, the middle son, self-centered and juvenile, is hurt and angry about his family relationships and uses those insecurities to damage his relationship with his girlfriend, Reecie. Caleb, the youngest son and the best of the lot, has just been released from prison with high hopes of reuniting with his girlfriend Sonya and son Jahlil. His quest is to rescue them from evil drug-dealer Curtis. Although each man values his family and his children, they all learn, at an awfully high price, the true meaning of family.
R.M. Johnson is also the author of Love Frustration, Father Found and The Harris Men (prequel to this novel). His short story, "Slipping and Falling" was featured in the collection of erotic short stories entitled Brown Sugar, published in January 2001. Also in November 2001, his essay, "Fear of a Blue Uniform" was featured in the anthology Not Guilty: Twelve Black Men on Life, Law and Justice. He presently lives in Washington, D.C. where he is at work on his fifth novel.
June
2003
