{"product_id":"blacker-than-a-thousand-midnights-9781640093614","title":"Blacker Than a Thousand Midnights","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A writer of exceptional gifts and grace.\" --Joyce Carol Oates\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA young fireman battles to provide for his family--and struggles to avoid the traps of crime and poverty that surround him.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA resident of impoverished Rio Seco, California, Darnell Tucker works part-time as the lone black member of the fire department. Cutbacks to the state budget force him to search for new work, and the low-paying positions he finds rival firefighting in their peril. His path blocked by economics, institutionalized racism, and the dangers of the place he lives, Darnell must find a way to persevere. \u003ci\u003eBlacker Than a Thousand Midnights\u003c\/i\u003e is a stark and thoroughly convincing portrait of life on the margins.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSusan Straight\u003c\/b\u003e has published eight novels and a memoir, \u003ci\u003eIn the Country of Women\u003c\/i\u003e. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and received the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement from the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book Prize, the O. Henry Prize, the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She was born in Riverside, California, where she lives with her family.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Counterpoint LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50858654204178,"sku":"9781640093614","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_520675cb-eaf5-4604-9aa7-570a67704904.jpg?v=1737544120","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/blacker-than-a-thousand-midnights-9781640093614","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}