Library book. What a wonderful novel! It’s all about gossip and mayhem in a Chicago South Side neighborhood. This is May’s first novel, a promising debut. Akashic books is publishing some good things. ( )

I was a little skeptical of picking this book up. It didn't look like anything I had ever read before and in some degree I was right. It was completely new to me... and I LOVED it!! I fell soo hard for this book. Author, Eric Charles May, describes the south side Chicago hamlet of Parkland so well and in so much detail, that I felt I could have driven there and hung out with the neighbors. Parkland seemed more real to me than my own home town. Hell the neighbors too! Parkland's residents were so lovingly created and so vibrant! There were easily the most realistically flawed and lovable characters I've ever read. I wanted to live on their street!

One wintery morning Parkland residents woke up to find an unwelcome surprise; Stew Pot was out of prison and back in town. Eighteen years of bliss in the neighborhood and now Stew Pot was back, and as a man, not a kid. Stew Pot was the most evil and notorious kid; burning down garages, killing cats, introducing kids to drugs, sleeping around, you name it, he'd done it. Parkland residents decided that they had to do something, but what? This novel tells the story of how these residents try to tackle Stew Pot and get him back in jail. Filled with gossip, rumors, jokes, and musing. This tale will have you enthralled. Soo good! My description doesn't even begin to do it justice. Just read it all ready!

I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for my honest, unbiased opinion. ( )

A convicted felon is released from prison and returns home to a quiet, middle class African American neighborhood in Chicago in the early 1990's. Disruption ensues, secrets are revealed and lives are destroyed.
With a large cast of well-developed characters, this excellent novel combines humor and tragedy in a realistic and well-plotted story. Highly recommended. ( )

Bedrock Faith brings up some interesting questions about how well we know other people and ourselves. Throughout the book, secrets are revealed about the neighbors of the small community, which causes each of them in turn to reevaluate themselves and how they relate to each other. I feel that Bedrock Faith is a book worth re-reading with the knowledge that you gain about each character. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Absolutely loved this book. This author does an excellent job of making the reader feel the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent reading this one. The story is exceptionally good and very well written with a few twists added in for good measure. Can't wait to share this one with my daughter. I'm sure she will enjoy it as much as I have. ( )