Book Buzz–The Tempest Tales by Walter Mosley
By Phyllis Rhodes • Jun 12th, 2008 • Category: Book Review •
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The Tempest Tales by Walter Mosley
The premise of the story is one AA man, Tempest Landry, who defies St. Peter by refusing to accept his judgment as a sinner and his subsequent sentence to hell. His defense is all his “sins” were justified — in an unfair world of racism, prejudice, etc, he was born with strikes against him that often leaves him with no choice but to do “wrong” in order to get “good.” This challenge (outright refusal to go to hell) upsets the divine order of things; so heaven returns him to earth with an angel to convince him of his wicked ways and wrongdoings. If he agrees that indeed he was wrong, he must accept his damnation and proceed to hell. What ensues are very carefully crafted incidents and conversations between the angel and Tempest on morals, racism, right/wrong, commentaries on modern day politics/societal issues, etc. Although it started out a bit slow, The Tempest Tales really picked up once Basel Bob (Beezelbub aka The Devil) showed up — of course he loves that Tempest has upset heaven and does his part to sway Tempest; however, Tempest is equally slippery and outsmarts the devil at his own game. Things are further complicated when the angel (in human form) sent to counsel Tempest succumbs to earthly sensations of love, pain, jealousy, envy, lust, etc. jeopardizing his heavenly mission.
Phyllis Rhodes
APOOO BookClub
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Phyllis Rhodes is a systems engineer with a major defense contractor and adjunct professor at two local universities in Orlando, Florida. A lifelong bibliophile, she founded the Nubian Circle Book Club in 2001 and is a freelance book reviewer for the Orlando Sentinel, APOOO Exchange Team, and Amazon.com. As a consummate fan of the arts, she supports local and national theatre, literary events, and Afrocentric festivals, exhibits, and historical tributes. When not traveling, teaching, or reading, she researches her family history and applies her talents across a host of professional organizations chartered to sustain and uplift the African American community
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