Review: The Good and Evil of Man
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2013
A Review of A Slave to Want by Jay Grewalby Anthony T. Riggio -  May 1, 2013I received an invitation to be connected on "Goodreads" by the author.  He read some of my reviews and thought of them favorably.  It is the second time an author has contacted me and I was honored.  I had never read or heard anything about the author but was intrigued by his invitation to "connect".  I immediately went to Amazon and downloaded his book, "A Slave toWant".I have an interest in the human struggles surrounding slavery in America and could never understand the concept of "owning" another person.  I guess I have been interested ever since I read "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe and recently "Someone Knows My Name" by Lawrence Hill (coincidently another Canadian) and "The Loom" by Shella Gillus.A Slave to Want, seemed like an odd title to a book about slavery and as I started to read the book I had a difficult time reconciling the choice of titles but slowly began to understand the concept.  Jelani, the young boy hero of the story was told not to be a slave to want by his Momma.  Later on he tells one of the other slaves seeking freedom in a dialog:  "If ya ain't a slave, then what are ya ?"  (Jelani said)  "I'm a slave to want, [he said] and a slave to need, but not to any man".  I suppose the word "slave" was simply an identifier or a substitute for the word "man", meaning,  I want; I need but only to me and for me.It was perhaps a mother's lesson to a young but highly intelligent young boy to help him understand his place in a very cruel and mean world.As I read this wonderful book, I had two thoughts pass through my thinking. I recently listened to a gospel reading at Mass wherein John 13:34 was read and spoken about during the homily and the song which was written specifically for Nat King Cole, namely "Nature Boy".Slavery in America did not follow Jesus' added commandment to "Love one another, as I have loved you". In fact, slavery was a stain on the American consciousness that we are still trying to wash away.The character, Jelani, is a special boy who has the power of empathy and the power to heal and make each of us see our hearts and our souls.  If evil lies in our hearts, he/we will know it.The author Jay Grewal, wove a terrific story that will capture the reader and leave him pondering many questions about human nature in general and about his own belief background.  He is a new talent on the literary stage that will hold a spot in my heart and consequently, I intend to read other books etc., that he has written.  I rated the book only five stars because this was the maximum allowed in my review.