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The Harris Family : A Novel [Hardcover]

RM Johnson (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 30, 2001
"The unforgettable crew of characters that made RM Johnson's debut novel" The Harris Men "a bestseller return in this riveting story of love, loss, and second chances.


Life hasn't been easy for Julius Harris since he walked out on his wife and three sons twenty-five years ago. He may be blessed with the love of a wonderful new woman and a beautiful home in California, but not a moment passes that he isn't filled with regret for the fateful choice he made so many years ago. What's worse, he's now fighting for his life against an illness that leaves him with little hope of ever rebuilding the family lost to him. Julius has learned the hard way that there's nothing more precious than family -- and nothing more painful than being estranged from those you love.

But suddenly Julius receives news that gives him fresh hope of making his family whole again: his cancer has gone into remission. Overjoyed, Julius is grateful for this miracle and the time it affords him to make up for his past mistakes. Fulfilling his dream won't be easy, however.

Across the country in Chicago, life isn't exactly simple for his three grown sons -- now in their thirties and busy with families and romantic entanglements of their own. The oldest son, Austin, a handsome and successful attorney, struggles to be a good father to his two children despite his ex-wife's determination to turn them against him. Marcus, the middle son, a self-employed graphic designer, wrestles with a fear of commitment that leads him to drive away the woman he loves. And Caleb, the youngest, just released from prison for armed robbery, tries desperately to rebuild his life and win back the wife and son lost to him as aresult of his past mistakes. Between the struggles of romance and career, these three brothers have a difficult enough time being there for one another -- let alone a father they haven't seen in so many years. Nor are they so sure they're ready to let him back into their lives.

Filled with intrigue, romance, and shocking twists, "The Harris Family" is a deliciously gripping story of contemporary black relationships and, ultimately, a moving testament to the power of family, love, and forgiveness.



Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Johnson's sequel to The Harris Men picks up five years after the previous book ended, reintroducing readers to guilt-plagued patriarch Julius Harris and his three estranged sons: Austin, Marcus and Caleb. It tries to explore issues of forgiveness, redemption and familial solidarity within a humanistic framework, but is quickly sunk by graceless prose, hilariously awkward dialogue "My nipples are so hard I could cut diamonds," one breathless lover murmurs and a sensibility so middlebrow it would make Barry Manilow wince. Worse yet, Johnson's cast of middle-class African-American protagonists comprises only vapid, generic and underdeveloped soap opera stereotypes. In The Harris Man, Julius discovered he had cancer, and tried to reconcile with the adult sons he abandoned years ago; now, he learns that the cancer has gone into remission. Since Julius was able to win over only Caleb in the previous book, he spends most of this one working on Marcus and Austin. Along the way, the narrative shifts between Julius and each of his progeny, all of whom have grown up with some pretty serious character defects, as a result of not having a father around during their formative years. Marcus is self-centered and juvenile, reluctant to commit to his girlfriend, Reecie. Austin is similarly shallow, an arrogant lawyer who's willing to play custody games with his kids just to get back at his ex-wife. Caleb, an ex-con, is the best of the lot, but his quest to rescue former girlfriend Sonya and son Jahlil from evil drug-dealer Curtis is pure pulp melodrama. It occasionally manages to be trashily readable, but Johnson's second effort is mostly flat, predictable and trite. Agent, Warren Frazier, John Hawkins & Associates. 5-city author tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In Johnson's previous novel, The Harris Men, Julius Harris was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age fifty-five. Julius travels from California to Chicago to seek out his sons in a desperate attempt for absolution for his 25-year absence from their lives. Five years after his fruitless attempt at reconciliation, Julius learns that his cancer is in remission, and he begins to hope for another opportunity to reconnect with his sons. Austin, the oldest, is struggling with his coparenting arrangement with his ex-wife; Marcus, the middle son, is hurt and angry about his family relationships and uses those insecurities to damage his relationship with his girlfriend; and Caleb, the youngest son, has just been released from prison with high hopes of reuniting with his woman and son. Although each man values his family and his children, they all learn, at an awfully high price, the true meaning of family. A compassionate novel with strong characters. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 347 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 30, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743216008
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743216005
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,259,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Character Development, November 20, 2001
This review is from: The Harris Family : A Novel (Hardcover)
R.M. Johnson has written a sequel that will keep readers riveted to their seats wondering what will happen next. Beginning five years from where the first book left off, we are reintroduced to Julius Harris and the sons he abandoned during their childhood: Austin, Marcus, and Caleb.

Julius' cancer has gone into remission and he feels like he has a new lease on life; especially since his youngest son Caleb is being released from prison and coming to stay with him. The only problem is that Julius promised to look after Caleb's woman and child. Unfortunately, the woman had other plans and moved on with her life. Caleb is heartbroken and determined to find them. Ultimately, he finds them shacking up with a violent drug dealer.

Marcus is now married and expecting his first child. He has decided to cut his brothers out of his life: Caleb for refusing his attempted prison visits and Austin for seemingly neglecting his children. However, Marcus' wife is not having it and insists that he does the right thing.

Austin is separated from his wife and in the middle of ugly games involving his visitation with the children. He is mad because his wife allows them to spend more quality time with his brother Marcus than with him. Accusations and fists start flying and one wonders if there will ever be a resolution.

Well, the book finally does bring closure to the family issues when Julius' cancer returns tenfold and the three sons must decide whether to forgive him or not. The scenes in this book between father and son, brother and brother, and husband and wife are so overwhelming that it brought me to tears. This is definitely one of my favorites of the year and I highly recommend it.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars HEARTFELT STORY!, April 26, 2002
By 
jahva28 "jahva28" (St. Louis, Mo United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Harris Family : A Novel (Hardcover)
With The Harris Family, R.M. Johnson has become one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed The Harris Men and now with its sequel, it's better than the first. R.M. does an excellent job on character development which allows you to get into the psyche of each brother to a certain extent. For me, the writing was very heartfelt with each trial that was faced within The Harris Family. Talk about what an ending; I was so happy for Marcus at the end. Forgiveness is key. This is an OUTSTANDING novel-nuff said.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Sequel Worth Your Time!, December 13, 2001
By 
Brian K. Walley (Clayton, Delaware) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Harris Family : A Novel (Hardcover)
The Harris Family is a satisfying conclusion to the excellent story that began in The Harris Men. Five years have passed since the first book ended and all of the family members are back with a new set of issues to deal with. I think RM Johnson's story telling is absolutely amazing and this is sure to be a hit with all of the people who loved The Harris Men. I found that I could not put this book down once I started it because I just enjoyed this book so much. I also appreciated how RM Johnson was clever enough to give you flashbacks from the first story because that helped me to remember some of the details that I had forgotten about. A lot of the scenes were really touching, especially some of the scenes involving Marcus. Buy this book and enjoy!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Julius Harris was exhausted as he sat in his car at eight in the morning. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ray Ray, Range Rover, Great America, Julius Harris, South Central, Thomas James
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