(PRWEB) March 6, 2006 -- "Blackface" ($13.95 ISBN: 0976806118), Q.B. Well’s riveting tale with Clinton Ray aka Black at the center. Black competes for his mother’s affection towards a white child whom she takes care of. Frustrated with the darkness of his skin, at one point he scrubs his face with steel wool soaked in bleach. Ray believes that his mother loves the white child more than him because of the color of his skin. To protect his mother, he runs away from home to live on the mean streets of Chicago.
Early reviews show Blackface as in unforgettable read. Cymbre Foster of Foreword Magazine calls Blackface “Gritty…serious work.” The Weekly Press said Blackface is a “haunting novel that pieces together the realities of the innercity. Captivating, raw and uncensored.” The Metro LA Magazine reviewers said Blackface is “engrossing from beginning to end.” Evocative, elegantly crafted and fast-paced, Blackface challenges and promises to be an engaging read.
The debut work of Wells, an up and coming publisher and prolific writer, he courageously and precisely exposes the issues urban black teenagers fight everyday. The 144-page book paints a heart-wrenching portrait of life for urban teenagers on the streets where an illegal drug-driven economy determines their destiny. “My novel focuses on Clinton Ray, who is forced away from home,” says Wells. “He must learn too early how to navigate through the underbelly of urban life.”
Black makes new friends with Face, a foster child longing for a family; Penny whose mother is a drug addict and Zero who has a speech disability, a stern father, yet he longs to fit in. Reminiscent of the classic “Outsiders,” Black and his friends face the same choices that taunt every urban teen. Will they sell drugs and commit crime to survive? Or is there a high road in the dark, narrow streets of Chicago where race and class limit choices. Wells skillfully weaves in these themes against an urbanscape that’s sure to make sociologists shudder.
“I hope to get young urban males specifically and people in general to read more,” says Wells. “I hoped people would look at the modern minstrel-like characters depicted in Blackface and begin to tell a wider realm of stories. The urban culture and urban literature is much more than just pimps, prostitutes and drug dealers. The issues are much more complex and should be reflected in the literature.”
About Q.B. Wells: Q.B. Wells is an author and editor of The Urbania webzine at
http://www.Urbaniamag.com, and founder of Art Official Media LLC. A former Baltimore City teacher, Wells holds a M.S. in Professional Writing from Towson University and a B.A. from Columbia College. He currently resides in Baltimore, MD.
For more information or to purchase a copy of "Blackface" please visit
www.ArtOfficialMedia.com
