Pretty Bird - Paperback

by Philip Jeffress (Author)

Already haunted by the death of his mother and forced to live in a dilapidated cabin with his abusive stepbrother, eleven-year-old Joshua Jennings is swept away in a flash flood and marooned in the backwaters of the Mississippi River to fight for survival while intrigue develops in the efforts to rescue him. Pretty Bird, a novel set in rural West Kentucky in 1921, is the story of Joshua's disappearance, rescue, and ultimate survival. It is a testament to his faith in God as taught to him by his late mother. The story includes examples of family discord, vindictiveness, and fear. But most of all, it is a story of inspiration, forgiveness, redemption, and relief. Pretty Bird tells the poignant story of Joshua's spiritual and physical growth on his journey of becoming a man.

Author Biography

Growing up on a small farm in West Kentucky, Philip Jeffress learned what he needed to know to write Pretty Bird. He heard the voices of the characters, knew the dialect and vernacular of their conversations, and understood their strengths and frailties. He felt compelled to tell their stories, against the back drop of their style of life, and their culture as related to him by his parents and other forebears. Jeffress graduated from Fulton High School, earned a college degree from Union University, and went on to complete his formal education with the conferral of Masters and Ph.D. Degrees in Economics from the University of Kentucky. After his career as a Professor of Economics at the University of New Orleans, Dr. Jeffress and his wife of fifty years now reside in Atlanta, Georgia, where they dote on their children and grandchildren. Writing books, scholarly articles and economic impact studies was his profession. Writing Pretty Bird was his passion.