One Prayer Away

January 1, 2007
Mitchell Andrews is an African American, but his story--of sustained personal losses resulting in depression and then alcoholism--feels universal. Mitchell plummets so far he becomes violent with his long-suffering wife, Virtue, who leaves, prompting Mitchell to fall even further. When at last he pulls himself together--with the help of God and the Betty Ford clinic--and tries to reclaim Virtue, it turns out that she, too, has done some falling. And Mitchell's bid for financial success is not so easy, either, as he restores his shaky confidence and deals with an unreliable partner. Call out to the Lord in hard times, Norman-Bellamy says, but don't let good times make you high and mighty. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)