Timothy Joseph

My Water Path by Timothy Joseph is a story of an era of madness in America, told from the point of view of Jory Sheppard, a white orphan, who, while running away to keep from being put in a foster home, gets caught in a storm on the Mississippi River that drives him into the arms and home of a kindly black man, Moses Kent, who teaches him about life.
Joseph paints a starkly realistic picture of life in Mississippi during the time leading up to and during the Civil Rights era, not in terms of show more headline-making events, but in how ordinary people coped with those events. With the exception of one or two characters that might seem a bit one-dimensional – they’re actually very realistic, but unless you lived through that era it will be hard to believe – he takes us under the skin of the characters and into their hearts and minds.
I received a free review copy of this gritty novel, and found that once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down until I was done. A well-written piece of fictional history of an all-too real time in American social history. show less

This is an amazing story. A young white boy is left an orphan to fend for himself in the middle of civil unrest. He is taken in an cared for by an amazing family. Society has a problem that this family is black. This book shares Jory's adventures to manhood with the help of his new "grandfather." It is hard for some of us to believe such cruelty could take place but I believe the author captured the essence of what black families endured perfectly. I have recommended this book to many show more friends including one who teaches literature at the middle school level. show less

This is an absorbing story about the life of a young white boy who is adopted into a loving black family during the mid-20th century. It starts off slow and the writing style is kind of choppy but about halfway through the book it really hits its groove and you won't want to put it down until it's finished.

This also isn't your typical novel, there are many wise and thought-provoking words written here. I found myself using the highlight feature on my Kindle several times. I will definitely show more be referencing several quotes from this book in the future.

That being said, when I first started the book I was a little confused as to who the author's audience was. The writing level suggested a pre-teen audience but the actual content of the book (language, realistic portrayal of racist persecution, etc) is definitely for more mature audiences.

I'm afraid I had to knock off a star and a half for the choppy writing at the beginning, as well as several misspellings and typos. Overall though, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring racism in 20th century America.

Note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

WOW!! This book was fantastic. My Water Path is the story of a boy named Jory who becomes and orphan after his father dies. He will have to go to foster care and the woman is a "witch" with a 'b'. So Jory decides to run away.

He is on the Mississippi in a boat that Jacob and Max found for him. He met Jacob and Max when he first ran away and they become friends and helpers to Jory. While Jory is asleep on his boat a storm starts and he is taken out into the current. This is when he meets show more Moses.

This story is set during the time of racism, the KKK and Civil Rights. Jory is a white boy who is saved my a black man and wants to live with him and his family. The story is one that I didn't want to stop reading unless I really had to.

I found myself crying at one point because Jory gets married and he has children. One of the children is born on April 4 1968. Which is a happy day and a sad day. I cried because that is the exact same day and year that I was born. It is happy and sad because of the birth of Jory's son and Martin Luther King was assassinated. Take the time to read this book. show less