Click Here To Purchase Book of Mercy

Author:  Sherry Roberts

ISBN: 978-0-9638880-6-8

Publisher: Osmyrrah Publishing

Book of Mercy is a tremendously fun read for anyone who loves books. The unlikely heroine of the story, Antigone Brown, is a dyslexic woman who discovers that there is a contingent of women in her small town bent on banning books from the school library. While she has always viewed books as tools of torture, Antigone can barely contain her rage at the audacity of this self-appointed group of saviors. Their tactics are sneaky and elitist and Antigone is determined to stop them.

The book is set in the small town of Mercy, North Carolina and could be Anywhere, USA. It is easy to imagine these characters acting on their strong beliefs and letting things get out of hand, ultimately dividing the townspeople. Antigone’s idealism is further fueled by the news of her pregnancy and her desire to protect books their ideas for her unborn child. She begins her campaign by appealing to the school board. When that gets little attention, she takes matters into her own hands.

Antigone has a small band of fierce supporters, among them her husband and a homeless teenager she rescued. Together, they bring the issue to the forefront of conversation in town and stir some strong sentiments. The book takes more than a cursory look at book banning and presents compelling characters with arguments on both sides of the issue. While the situation is ultimately resolved to Antigone’s satisfaction, it isn’t clear whether Irene, the woman who spearheaded the banning effort, truly understands the error of her ways in the end.

The issues surrounding censorship have been around for decades and the glimpse into the individual motivations and group dynamics of people we can all identify with brings a richness to the story. The characters in Mercy are lively and fun to follow. This picture of small-town life in the South feels realistic and it is easy to see how book banning gained footing in a place like Mercy.

Sherry Roberts Bio Take From Amazon.com

"I write books about people who lose their muse (Maud's House), a dyslexic fighting a town that's banning books (Book of Mercy), and a yoga teacher trying to balance her search for inner peace with her fascination with mayhem (Down Dog Diary).

In the lovely Minnesota summers, I grow flowers: from dahlias and geraniums to lantanas and zinnias; practice my yoga; ride my bike; and feed the hummingbirds. In the sometimes-long, but always pretty Minnesota winters, I walk in the snow, read by the fire (probably the latest Dennis LeHane or Jim Butcher), and bake cookies. And I watch basketball, alternately howling with affection or growling with despair at the Minnesota Timberwolves. I have yet to become too attached to baseball and the Twins. I fear I might have a bit of my mother in me, who was a HUGE St. Louis Cardinals fan and complained when they stopped taking her calls.

I started out, fresh out of journalism school at the University of Missouri, chasing down stories for the Springfield, MO, Daily News. I continued my reportorial career in Vermont at the Burlington Free Press. Then my husband discovered computers (a Radio Shack TRS 80 no less) and spun our lives in an entirely new direction to North Carolina, where he got a job editing a computer magazine. I wrote for local publications, became editor of a regional magazine, and enjoyed a wonderful few years writing op-ed pieces for USA Today.

Then in 1990, my husband and I started The Roberts Group, a firm that provides editorial services, graphics design, and Web services. And we've been doing it ever since in North Carolina and, now, in Minnesota."


Click Here To Purchase Book of Mercy