Dedra Johnson ("Sandrine's Letter to Tomorrow") & Preston L. Allen ("All or Nothing") Book Signing November 3, 2007

Wordsmiths Books presents two authors of African-American fiction discussing and signing their books, Dedra Johnson and Preston L. Allen.

Set in 1970s New Orleans, Sandrine's Letter to Tomorrow by Dedra Johnson is the powerful and uplifting story of eight-year-old Sandrine Miller, and her struggles against the violence, racism, and abuse she suffers from both her family and the world around her. A straight-A student and voracious reader, Sandrine's favorite time of the year is summer, when she goes to live with her beloved grandmother. After her grandmother's death, Sandrine is forced to face the harsh reality of her life, which includes living with a resentful and abusive mother, being ostracized because of her light-skin, and frequent sexual advances from men who follow her home from school. Eventually, Sandrine comes to realize that she must escape from this world if she is to have any kind of future. In the tradition of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Sandrine's Letter to Tomorrow is a brilliant debut from an important new voice in African-American fiction.

What William S. Burroughs' Junky was to heroin addiction, All or Nothing is to gambling, only more prophetic. Preston L. Allen's witty, charming, and very likable school bus driver--named P--is a desperate gambler. He has blown the hundred thousand dollars he won at the casino six months ago, but his wife and family still think he's loaded. P spins out of control on the addict's downward spiral of dependency, paranoia, and depression, as he must find ways to keep coming up with the money to fool his family and fund his growing addiction. The bets get bigger and bigger, until finally, faced with the ultimate financial crisis, he hits it really big. Yet winning, he soon learns, is just the beginning of a deeper problem. If you've ever wanted to get into the heart and psyche of a compulsive gambler, here is your chance.

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