The Day Sonny Died explores the wound left when a father is absent and how to heal.
The effect is shown in news. We see so many stories of tragedy, especially for young, black men. But do you know the story before the headlines & hashtags?
#sonnybook
The Story
When three-year-old Sonny witnessed his father’s brutal murder, he didn’t know a curse haunting the men in his family was to blame. But his grandmother, Constance Jackson, did. For 20 years, Constance clung to her abusive marriage and church hoping that she could save her son. But hope and prayers were not enough, and her son died an unnatural death just like four generations of Jackson men before him.
Now, she’s stuck raising her grandson – Sonny. As time goes on, Constance sees Sonny as a chance to make things right with her past. But as Sonny approached manhood, Constance recognizes a change in him. And her gut says the shadow of the curse is lurking and will strike again soon.
She fights to keep Sonny from his father’s fate. But a grandmother’s gumption and prayers may not be enough to save Sonny’s soul.
Why We Wrote This Book
M. Simone Boyd
In 2012, I was working as an energy analyst in D.C and was summoned for jury duty. The case was fairly straightforward: a young woman was being tried for drug possession, an unregistered fire arm and other charges.
But when the police arrested her, her nine-month-old son was in the car with the drugs, gun and her boyfriend. It made me so sad to see her living in survival mode. During the trial, it came out that she was in an abusive relationship. And the drugs may have even belonged to her boyfriend. But I just felt such empathy and started asking myself questions.
- Where was her family?
- What circumstance led to this life?
- Where would her son be in 15 years?
Her face never left me and every time I tried to tell someone about the story…I just started crying. So, I started writing about where I thought her son would be in 15 years.
My Dad – Onnie I. Kirk Jr.
A couple of years into writing The Day Sonny Died, I reached out to my dad and asked if he’d like to join me.
I think the Lord laid it on my heart, because he’s been mentoring boys from fatherless homes for 25 years. Many of the boys he’s mentored share Sonny’s story.
Where You Can Buy It
The book is available for sale online via:
Amazon, Itunes and Barnes & Noble
