A Journey into Manhood

A Journey into Manhood is a family saga centered around a boy, Peter and his parents who are incapable of showing him love but he gets that love from a servant woman who lives with the family. After his mothers death, Peter and his father immigrate to the United States, and there as a young man he must confront the truth about his father. That he is a womanizer and possibly the father of a baby girl Peter names Jenna.

This is the story of a boy, Peter Flomo, born on a small plantation on a Caribbean island to middle class parents. His mother, BeBe is a school teacher and his father Robert, works for the government. All is not well in the Flomo household as Robert has a terrible disease that tortures his wife. He is a womanizer who fathers so many children he does not know how many he has. BeBe dies of Tuberculosis at age 27 and Robert immigrates to the America and leaves behind his middle class status and dozens of illegitimate children. After four years in America, Robert sends for his son so at age 15, Peter is thrust into this new and sophisticated culture and though Robert has great aspirations for his son(he wants Peter to be a doctor or a lawyer) he disappoints his father with his many failures. He barely graduates high school, but finds time to get his girlfriend pregnant. Peter finds out later that the baby girl he named Jenna might be his father's child. Peter feels so disgusted and betrayed he leaves his fathers house and vows never to speak to him again. But that promise is short-lived as he learns his father is dying of liver cancer. Peter returns home to be with his father only to learn that his fathers illness is a ruse concocted by Robert to make Peter love him again. This is a story of love, betrayal and redemption. It is the story of a young man coming of age in America.

I am a military veteran living in Nashville, Tennessee. I am a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a Masters in Human Relations. I am a retired Army veteran with 22 years of service. I am also a retired State of Tennessee Employee with 17 years of service. This is my first novel.