Blue Jesus

Deep in the Appalachian mountains of Northern Georgia there dwell a group of blue skin people who live apart from the rest of society. This is the compelling story of two boys, one white and one blue, who live in the tiny Georgia hamlet of Comfort Corners in the 1950s. Trouble starts when the boys find a dead baby whose body has been thrown onto the town garbage dump. As the narrator of the tale, the boy Buddy scrambles for help, the other boy, Early, who comes from the race of Blue people, takes the baby in his hands and conjures the infant back to life. A firestorm of controversy ensues. The friendship between Buddy and Early is the centerpiece of this remarkable story, as they sustain abuse, ridicule, and social upheaval. The voice of Buddy is poignant and urgent, and he speaks in a simple, profound way that belies his 11 years. He is a sensitive boy still reeling from the recent death of his mother from cancer. Viewed as a sissy by his classmates, he is brutally beaten by the town bully for associating with the Blue people. Early in turn is also beaten by his father for causing attention to be paid to them as a result of the resurrection of the baby. Early clearly has some form of supernatural power, and the situation takes a remarkable turn when Early's father realizes the economic potential of his son's unique gift, and he markets Early far and wide as Blue Jesus. People come in droves to be healed by Early from all the surrounding counties. But it's not as simple as that. Early cannot control when the special feeling comes to him. He also refuses to discriminate between white, black or blue people, and as a consequence there is an unheard of coming together of all races in a revival meeting atmosphere. Colorful and honest, there is humor, heartbreak, and ultimate redemption in this novel in the tradition of the best Southern fiction. Themes of faith and miracles, the nature of true friendship, and of all races coming together are poignantly explored.