Crutches

"Crutches"

By Jevon E. Thompson.

 Crutches is a semi biographical, 1957 period piece.  With the conflict of two worlds colliding, a middle class black family suddenly finds itself in a tough low-income housing project with no idea of how to survive their circumstance.

"Crutches"

With no ideas left of her own and without the false comfort of illusion, Vivian, a single mother with two sons left at home, comes to a conclusion—a borrowed conclusion. She has to make a personal stand now! Finally after years of giving in to her alcoholism, she embraces the echo of her parents, well-wishers, and even her drinking buddies who seem less effected by their drinking. She has to fight for her self-respect, her family, and ‘pull herself up by her boot straps’ while there is still time. Vivian is convinced this can not be done in the comfort of her elderly parents, Elderiah and Jessie Rose’s, middle class home. She knows in her gut, the responsibility to care for the boys while she is out drinking is not theirs.

After dinner, Vivian makes an announcement that shocks everyone. With tears and the burden of her shame, Vivian lays out her bold plan to recapture her life and save her family. They are moving. She has found an apartment in the Frederick Douglass projects. The announcement is an emotional bomb for her two sons, Robin and Little Von. Little Von, 5, is frighten by the prospect of living away from the security of his grandparent’s quiet tree-lined neighborhood. Robin, on the other hand, is terrified. A teenager already struggling trying to find his way, Robin has many friends who live in the “Freddy.” Despite being a black family moving to a black housing project, he knows they have no idea how to live in the tumultuous world of project survival—a way of life he and his brother have been sheltered from. The rules of living there would be completely different. Their survival will depend on learning those rules quickly.

 This is the 1957 story of what happens after the move, when Vivian resumes drinking and leaves the boys to learn the rules of life and the Frederick Douglas projects on their own.

Morristown NJ native, Jevon E. Thompson earned his B.A. in Psychology from Milton WI. He is an internationally known motivational speaker throughout the United states, Canada, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. In the 1970's as a musician, he did an apprenticeship with The Duke Ellington Band, drummed with Blues Handy Award winner Luther Allison and later taught English. In the 1980's, he made guest appearances on ABCs "All My Children," and an WLS-TV Oprah Winfrey special with Michael Jordan produced by Charlotte Kopp. In the 1990's Jevon turned to writing. He is co-author of "Chicken Soup For the College Soul" and "Teen Power II." This is the second edition of his first novel "Crutches." His second novel "The War Of Heaven And Earth" is also available on Amazon and other book retailers. Jevon is also a major contributor to the new "The Real Caribbean Life" E magazine coming soon!