First published 2025
J. Malcolm Garcia takes readers inside Alabama Village, an impoverished neighborhood south of Mobile where gunshots barely register with local children. The award-winning journalist documents how John and Dolores Eads established Light of the Village church to serve their community with unwavering faith and compassion. Garcia weaves together the stories of residents navigating violence and poverty. Da'Cino Dees witnessed his first shooting at age eight and now works at the church. Aaron "Billy Boy" Amison dreams about dead people and cycles in and out of jail since age fourteen. Jesenda Brown pursues her own cleaning business as an escape route from poverty. Corey "Bigg Man" Davis displays generous kindness despite mysterious wealth. Through these intimate portraits, Garcia reveals how individual lives create the fabric of a community marked by both devastation and stubborn hope. The book celebrates the people who persist when relief efforts disappear and loss feels constant.
Genres: biography, american, contemporary, social-issues, non-fiction
Vibes: compassionate, gritty, hopeful, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: community-resilience, found-family, personal-transformation
Setting: Alabama Village, Mobile, Alabama, Southern United States
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
304 pages · Paperback · Seven Stories Press
Content warnings: drug-use, violence