Review: Great Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2014
David Threnody is the 8th and final son of Cleota and Horace (Duke) Threnody.  He was born in New Orleans in 1918 and grew up to be a blues musician.  He is a character based on combining Blues singer Robert Johnson and biblical figure King David.  While David Threnody was a fictitious character, Jason Ackley wrote about his in The Psalmist as if he were real.The Psalmist is the “biography” of blues musician David Threnody which starts with his parents’ history and brings the reader through all of the ups and downs of his life.  We get to see David at his birth, during his childhood, through his relationships with others, through his struggles with addiction and through his journey to music.  This story is captivating with the level of detail that Ackley uses to describe the events and the characters in it.  I particularly like that the book is written to include journal entries from David to help bring a level of personal connection to the story.Well worth the read.