One of O, The Oprah Magazine's Ten Books to Pick Up Now, April 2014Named a Notable African-American Title by Publishers Weekly"In this vivid, suspenseful, funny, and compassionate novel of epiphanies, tragedies, and transformations, May drills down to our bedrock assumptions about ourselves, our values, and our communities. As sturdy as a Chicago bungalow and bursting with life, May's debut is perfect for book clubs."--Booklist (starred review)"May's expansive first novel reveals the complicated emotional economy that holds together a neighborhood in crisis...May's vivid descriptions of the rhythms of life in the suburb...reveal vibrant lives in ordinary houses."--Publishers Weekly"May slowly builds suspense as he persuasively unfolds the narrative in this work that reads like an Agatha Christie mystery. The characters, even those whose names are never mentioned, are versatile and relatable, and May's descriptions embody a tapestry of words."--Library Journal"May 'persuasively unfolds the narrative,' and critics are buzzing."--Library Journal, naming Bedrock Faith a "Best Debut" for Spring"A perceptive and entrancing meditation on friendship and family, love and forgiveness."--Kirkus Reviews"Bedrock Faith is a strong, engaging novel--full of warmth and charm and honesty."--Bookforum"Bedrock Faith isn't a short read, but it's a rich one, and the characters are engaging."--Ebony Mag"Fast-paced...suspenseful and meditative in equal measure."--Chicago Reader"A compelling look at a tight-knit community battling a threat from within."--Chicago Social Magazine"Eric Charles May and James Baldwin share more than skin color and writing passion. They are masters of the complicated operas that unfold in a particular place, of the complexities and frailties of mankind. Bedrock Faith is May's first novel, and since approaching Baldwin is no idle feat, one only hopes he'll write more."--Newcity"The depth and the magnetism and the humor of Eric Charles May's truly unforgettable characters makes this a neighborhood well worth visiting."--New York Journal of Books"Bedrock Faith is an entertaining and heartfelt novel, and it provides an important look at a side of Chicago that is under-represented in today's literary fiction."--Chicago Center for Literature and Photography"Once I got started, I could not put [Bedrock Faith] down. I couldn't wait to see what was coming next, which of the neighbors would get their comeuppance and who would emerge as the final victor, Stew Pot or the people of Parkland."--Read for Pleasure"Eric Charles May is a gem of a writer."--I've Read This"Eric Charles May's first novel is delightful to read. There are a host of characters, each given the opportunity to tell their story, and there is plenty of action. Readers are welcomed into Parkland from the first page."--Reeling and Writhing and Fainting in Coils"A wonderful urban novel full of vitality and pathos and grit. I dug the ever-living hell out of it."--Dennis Lehane, author of Live By Night"In Bedrock Faith, Eric Charles May has created a world inhabited by unforgettable, believable characters-the fervid Stew Pot Reeves, the patient Mrs. Motley-who will linger in your heart long after you've finished their story. A bittersweet, timeless book."--Valerie Wilson Wesley, author of Dying in the Dark"An impressive debut with unforgettable characters and an epic story line by an author who has appeared on the literary landscape fully formed."--Colin Channer, author of The Girl with the Golden ShoesAfter fourteen years in prison, Gerald "Stew Pot" Reeves, age thirty-one, returns home to live with his mom in Parkland, a black middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. A frightening delinquent before being sent away, his return sends Parkland residents into a religiously infused tailspin, which only increases when Stew Pot announces that he experienced a religious awakening in prison.
