Shadow of Light

by James E. Cherry

“Like the work of Richard Wright, Shadow of Light is in the tradition of black novels that become unforgettable.”—Jerry W. Ward, Jr. Black cop. White town. Deep South. The festering racial tensions in a Tennessee backwater town come to a boil after a black grandmother is raped and shot by a gang of white teenagers. Only one man has the capacity to keep a lid on the mounting violence and that’s the town’s senior black cop, Walter Robinson. A two-fisted portrayal of the South today—riven by poverty, drugs, and racism, but still struggling toward a better future. James E. Cherry is a new African American voice. Shadow of Light is his first novel.

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

James E Cherry is a poet, fiction writer, professor, literary activist and impresario. He is the author of four books of poetry, two novels, and a collection of short fiction. He has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award, a Lillian Smith Book Award, and a Next Generation Indie Book Award. His writing has been published in journals and anthologies, both in the U.S. and internationally. Cherry has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Texas at El Paso and resides in Tennessee with his wife, Tammy.

Reviews

[Steven Dayas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little background:

So a little bit ago I was entered into a writing competition by my creative writing teacher (love her) with a very unfinished short story called Tallmen, it was a grade so I entered it even though I wanted to work on it longer, and somehow James Cherry thought I deserved special recognition for it. This REALLY helped my confidence when I figured this out because I’m around half-way through the first draft of my first web-novel currently and with the whole Covid thing I was starting to lose steam. So now I have more energy keep going. Anyway, I figured this all out two days ago and I immediately picked up a copy of one of his books to see what kind of author he was, and let’s just say I wasn’t disappointed.

The Book:

Shadow is a great thriller, short and to the point. Since I’ve been trying to get through Rage of Dragons and Lord of The Rings recently it’s good to read something that I can blow through in a matter of days that is completely willing to touch on disturbing subject matters. The main characters are great, Cebo being a personal favorite because of the fact that he’s a product of the environment. And the setting of Forrest is an interesting backdrop for me personally as it was very similar to the small town that I was born in. I really don’t want to get into spoilers but, if you want a quick thriller that’s willing to touch on issues while telling a really good story check it out, it’s definitely worth your time.

[OOSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dirty South

James E. Cherry's novel, "Shadow of Light," is a very good suspense novel that takes the reader down South where slavery still exists for the Black people.

Walter Robinson is a tough black cop that was born and raised in the small town of Forrest, Tennessee. Obligated to serve and protect himself and his family, Walter discovers his grandmother was raped and shot by three white teenagers, causing racial tension with all the townspeople - black and white. He is under pressure because he is working on a serious case while attempting to find the people responsible for his grandmother's crime. Walter's nephew, Cebo, is a drug dealer that runs the streets of Forrest and begins to retaliate against white cops to justify the near death experience. In the meantime, Walter is dealing with personal issues with his wife as she leaves him because of his indiscretions and work that interferes with their marriage.

This novel has been the most suspenseful and intriguing novel I've read this year. I must recommend to all dedicated READERS! Every page is guaranteed to keep you on your toes as you discover the deep dark secrets within the town of Forrest. This is definitely a 5-star read.

Reviewed by: Tekisha

[Khalid · Rating 4 out of 5]

IRB #7
The book "Shadow of Light" by James E. Cherry was a very interseting book. This book contains racial tensions between black and white people. These tensions lead to a murder, 3 white teenagers rob a black grandmother not only did they rob her, the leader of the group shot her and raped her. The black woman was the grandmother of Walter Robinson, a black police officer in the city, he was surprised about the murder but he didn't panic. He solved the case in a great way and he was the only man with the capacity to keep a lid on the mounting violence.
This was a great book and mystery.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This deeply felt first novel has many good points, but it could have used a more severe editor. There were too many sections in which the author "told" us rather than showed us his main points, and some sections were too preachy, especially within the mystery genre. Nonetheless, he had some well-developed characters and interesting perspectives. Worth reading and definitely an author worth watching.

[T.O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as powerful as Richard Wright's "Native Son", but still very convincing, realistic and raw. The plot is rather disturbing and the characters are audacious and fragile, but Mr. Cherry did a superb job by making the book spiritual and eventually peaceful. I certainly look forwad to reading his next book and more books to come after that.