Thursday December 8 – 5:00-6:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
ABOUT THE BOOK:
WHICH IS STRONGER? THE LOVING BOND BETWEEN A BLACK MAN AND HIS WHITE BROTHER OR THE RACISM THAT PULLS THEM APART?
Based on a North Carolina Family’s True Story, New Novel Brings to Life the Contrasting Childhoods, Military Experiences and Futures of a Black Man and a White Man Raised Together—and the Complexities of Their Fraternity
After Alex’s family is killed by the Ku Klux Klan during the Great Depression, he is taken in by a local dairy farmer who finds him hiding in his barn. The farmer raises Alex alongside his
young son Pete, and the two boys come to view themselves as brothers. Together, they navigate the Jim Crow era in the rural South—a challenge they experience differently because of their different skin colors—and then head off to fight in segregated military units in World War II. Through separation, diverging military careers and escalating racial hostility
they grow up and grow apart, estranged by the complexities of being Black and White brothers. At least until their lives bring them back together demanding a choice as to where their loyalty lies…
Based on the true story of the author’s North Carolina family, Boys—a work of
historical fiction by distinguished physician and medical thriller author Roger Newman (Koehler Books, January 2025)—takes readers from the segregated deep south to the battlefields of World War II and Vietnam, tracing the state of racial injustice and the ways it shapes the brothers’ lives. Equal parts a heartfelt exploration of family, friendship, and resilience and a captivating exploration of US history and race, Boys leaves readers to contemplate which is stronger: the loving bond between a Black man and his White brother, or the racism that pulls them apart.
Praise for Boys:
“The relationship between Alex and Pete is a profoundly complex one and is rendered with impressive subtlety by Newman, who admirably refuses any facile sentimentality. Alex is a particularly memorable protagonist—it is both fascinating and heartbreaking to see how he manages to maintain both gratitude and anger in his heart in equal measure. The novel is affecting but not cloyingly manipulative, an increasingly rare accomplishment in the field of contemporary literature. A powerful and nuanced novel about racial tensions in 20th-century America.”
—Kirkus
“Vivid descriptions of rural life, military service, and racial tension add rich layers to Newman’s narrative, immersing readers in the characters’ struggles and triumphs while exploring war trauma, systemic discrimination, and gentle self-discovery amid the harsh cruelty of their world. Boys is a complex dive into human connection, an ode to finding strength in adversity, the enduring scars of racism, and the power of love and loyalty.”
—BookLife
“Clear-eyed, unsentimental writing sculpts characters, like Poppa, who are filled with disturbing contradictions—and utterly true-to-life. Newman also informs on a rich tapestry of topics and insights, from military cruelties and politics to cows to Supreme Court cases to 1970s breakfast foods. Sharp dialogue and plenty of humor entertainReaders will laugh, learn, and become immersed in this fascinating story from its early, horrifying pages to its satisfying, cathartic conclusion and will eagerly await Newman’s next book.”
—Blue Ink Review
“An incredibly moving coming-of-age story that beautifully portrays friendship’s strength and the courage to face adversity. Newman captures the daily rhythms and struggles of the era, bringing to life both the beauty and starkness of rural America…. [This book] deserves a thousand stars.”
—Carol Thompson, Readers’ Favorite (Five Stars)
“The characters in Boys are genuinely flawed and relatable. The historical setting is fully drawn, and the social constructs of the time are skillfully explored in this spellbinding narrative. Boys is a tale that is rich in its themes, eloquent in the issues it tackles, and fascinating in its characterization.”
—Divine Zape, Readers’ Favorite (Five Stars)
“Boys is a masterful exploration of race, privilege, and the strength of familial bonds, inviting readers to question the meaning of loyalty and brotherhood in the face of systemic injustice.”
—K.C. Finn, Readers’ Favorite (Five Stars)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In addition to Boys, Roger Newman (rogerbnewman.com) is the author of a series of medical thrillers: Occam’s Razor, Two Drifters, and What Becomes; and a Civil War historical fiction novel Will O’ the Wisp: Madness, War, and Recompense. He is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, specializing in the care of women with multiple gestations. He has authored
two hundred scientific papers, a dozen book chapters, and the award-winning and bestselling When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads; Fourth Edition. He served as the national president for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and has been
voted by his peers as one of the “Best Doctors in America” for thirty consecutive years. He and his wife, Diane, live on the Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina.
