Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way
Publisher: Beaufort Books | January 21, 2025
James Henry Ferguson doesn’t belong here. After a highly publicized fall from grace, James attempts to flee from the chaos in his life. He ends up in a community he had never heard of before, one that has been neglected and ignored by everyone in rural Ham, Mississippi. A place of abject poverty, the neighborhood is commonly referred to as “Around the Way.”
Within a place forgotten by the rest of the world, politics can be a dangerous game. When a troubling discovery is made, the entire neighborhood is rocked to its core and James is forced to confront his own past in order to help the community have a future. He will have to find the strength to fight for the neighbors he once disregarded and avert a heart-breaking disaster. A self-identified failure is forced to uncover the wisdom of his past in order to recognize that money can’t solve every problem.
Full of never-ending twists and turns, no one can prepare themselves for the surprises in store. Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way is a story about failure, self-discovery, empowerment, and the possibility of redemption.
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Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way is a mesmerizing look at one man’s fall from grace and the age-old struggle for redemption. James Henry Ferguson is a philanthropic Black businessman whose wounded ego leads him to a self-destructive act that destroys all he holds dear. Finding himself outcast and reviled not only by society but also by his beloved family, he retreats to his roots, seeking to reclaim the values that brought him the success and esteem he once enjoyed. James Henry Ferguson becomes plain old Mr. Jimmy to his new neighbors in a poverty-stricken town in rural Mississippi, and it is there he finds the true meaning of love, respect, and community. This tender story is for any of us who have fallen and found the only way up is by reaching out a hand to others.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner, 2024
2024 National Indie Excellence Award for African American Fiction
2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for African American Fiction
2024 NYC Big Book Award for General Fiction
2024 American Book Fest Best Book Award for African American Fiction
Advance Praise for Mr. Jimmy Around the Way
Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way is a mesmerizing look at one man’s fall from grace and the age-old struggle for redemption. in a poverty-stricken town in rural Mississippi, he finds the true meaning of love, respect, and community. This tender story is for any of us who have fallen and found the only way up is by reaching out a hand to others. – Cassandra King, author of Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
