Hot Johnny

by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Like a ray of sun that can warm your skin for a moment but can't be captured, John the Baptist Wright has touched the lives of many women-- heart, body, and soul. Now, in this brilliant new novel by Sandra Jackson-Opoku, award-winning author of The River Where Blood Is Born, we hear from the women who gave Hot Johnny his heat.

Through the discerning eyes of those who have known and loved him, we watch Hot Johnny take a journey into the past, where a deeply guarded family secret lies hidden, waiting to be revealed. Along the way, pivotal moments of Hot Johnny's life begin to his childhood struggles in the ghettos of Chicago, his rites of passage as a young gang member, his tragically short athletic career, his fantasies and obsessions, cruelties and compassion.

Each woman has a distinct voice and her own point of view. Among them is Destiny, the damaged young woman he married, but cannot save; Lola Belle, the white lesbian with something to prove and nothing to lose; Tree, the college soulmate, whose first taste of tenderness came from Hot Johnny's touch; Cinnamon, the thrill seeker who only Johnny can satisfy; Peaches, the prostitute who gave the boy his name and sealed his reputation; Jonavis, the daughter he never knew he had; and Gracita Reina (Queen of Grace), his great-grandmother, who holds the key to Johnny's salvation. Each woman provides a piece of the puzzle that is Hot Johnny--until at last he is brought into dazzling focus.

This deeply felt and emotionally involving tale offers a captivating portrait of a complex man who is both saint and sinner, hero and villain, and all the shadings in between. Sandra Jackson-Opoku has done nothing less than illuminate the shadowy places of a man's soul--and created a powerful novel of destiny and redemption.

Genres: Fiction, Romance

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2001

About the author

Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of the award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. She also coedited the anthology Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. Her fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works are widely published and produced in Adi Magazine, Midnight & Indigo, Aunt Chloe, Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, New Daughters of Africa, Obsidian, Another Chicago Magazine, storySouth, Lifeline Theatre, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and others. Professional recognition includes a Plentitudes Journal Prize, the Hearst Foundation James Baldwin Fellowship at MacDowell Arts, a National Endowment for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, an American Library Association Black Caucus Award, a City of Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, the Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, a Globe Soup Story Award, the Joan Perry Barnes Fellow in Crime Writing at Storyknife Writers Retreat and a Pushcart Prize nomination.

Reviews

[Gift Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is genius
I enjoyed it starting out, but towards the end, the story started to drag
I skipped a couple of pages just to get to the end
It's beautifully written but not for keeps

[Ciarrah, MHA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was younger and full of wonder about sex, men, love, and relationships. I've been looking for this book for years and I finally found it at a used bookstore in the free bin without its book jacket. It was the first book I picked up. I was meant to read this again, as an adult, with a little more knowledge about life.

[L.D. Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully woven tapestry of love, family and secrets. Definitely a good read!

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

At a time when I was into the greatest aspects of young love and black love, I enjoyed this book. It reminds me of teen romance novel. Johnny was a rolling stone. Following the relationships and how they pan out was very dramatic way to be entertained.

[Yeye Lynvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this novel made me realize that sometimes the only way certain 'truths' can be told is through fiction.
Sincerely
Marian Hayes

[Jacquelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Beautiful read. I loved each chapter with their relationship to Hot Johnny. This indeed was a page turner. Nice work. I definitely will read more books written by this author.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was good,the only problem I cannot find part two of the book. Can anyone help me