Advance Praise
Jeffrey Blount has crafted an important and authentic novel about failure, redemption, the families we are given, and the families we create. We all know a place like Ham, Mississippi. It’s the kind of town you drive through while making sure your car doors are locked. Mr. Blount makes us pause and step out of our bubbles to take an up-close and uncomfortable look at poverty and racism in our collective backyard. This powerful novel shows us the true meaning of “it takes a village,” and that doing the right thing should be color blind. – Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of THE HOUSE ON PRYTANIA
Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way is a thoughtfully written, thought-provoking, complacency-smashing novel of redemption and restoration, and a testament to the truth that it is in lifting up others that we ourselves are lifted up. – Marie Bostwick, NYT and USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club for Troublesome Women
In Jeffrey Blount’s poignant novel, Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way, James Ferguson must lose his life to gain one worth living. Blount’s writing shines. With a true sense of place and authentic dialogue, the author introduces characters not easily forgotten. I found myself crying and cheering for those characters, lost in their pain and ultimately, joy. Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way is a heartwarming story with the emotional depth of an important read. – Johnnie Bernhard, author of Hannah and Ariela, winner of the National Federation of Press Women, Novel Award 2023.
Jeffrey Blount’s Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way is a compelling narrative of a man’s search for the meaning of goodness in his life and the world around him. …The intersecting life stories of all Blount’s characters raise questions for his readers. How do we determine if a person is a “good man” or “good woman?” —or simply a good human?…
These questions are embedded in a graceful narrative with sparkling and witty dialogue. You will find yourself smiling, even laughing, as you journey along with Blount’s characters. But you will, by the end, find yourself moved to tears by what abject poverty does to human beings. At least, I was. – Larry I. Palmer is the author of the memoir, Scholarship Boy: Meditations on Family and Race, and professor of law emeritus at Cornell University.
“A feat of beauty and cultural significance, Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way is at once heartbreaking and defiantly hopeful, a work of force that illuminates the human condition. Written with amazing grace, the novel immerses us in the life of unforgettable billionaire James Henry Ferguson who struggles to keep his faith in his darkest hours, putting the very fate of his community at stake. Packed with tension, hard-won wisdom, surprising twists, and shattering emotional power, it’s a testament to the infinite possibilities of good will and personal transformation. Jeffrey Blount has delivered a vivid portrait of love, race, redemption, and the American dream. It reaches into your heart, twists it, breaks it, mends it, and ultimately transforms it—it doesn’t let you go. An instant classic.” – Pamela Hamilton, author of Lady Be Good: The Life and Times of Dorothy Hale
