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W. F. Redmond was born in the backwoods of Arkansas, the eldest of eight children, whose parents' lives were anchored to the cotton fields. But it was on the streets and playgrounds of Compton, California, that Redmond came of age. His daughter, six grand-children and four great-grands inspire, challenge and keep him young at heart. His work is also dedicated to his mother Rosie Lee, and his sisters, Amy, Jackie and Sharon, all of whose lives were cut far too short. He spends his days working at and and striving to improve his craft. He is author of the critically acclaimed two novel set, Compton Connection Books 1 and 2; the mid-west urban thriller, All is Fair in Hate; and the soon to be released, Arkansas Has Rainy Nights Too. He tells us that, "I have only just begun. The best is yet to come!"
Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite
The setting is Compton, California, in 1987 and Edith Hicks and her identical twin sister Edna are about to graduate from high school. Edith has full scholarships to several colleges lined up but Edna does not. Their mother and stepfather, Dave, care about the girls and their entire family, including the oldest son, June, who is serving a life sentence in San Quentin for a murder that he supposedly committed. Edith wants to get away from Compton and from the increasing influence of gangs in the town. She also wants to get out of Edna's shadow as she, Edith, has always been known as the quieter twin. Three local boys called the three M&M's figure prominently in the girls' lives and Edith finds herself drawn to one of them, Michael Minton, becomes involved with him and then finds he is going to the prom with another girl. Edna is drawn to one of the other M&M's, Michael Mason, but when he is killed in a confrontation with the police, she is distraught. How will Edith and Edna's lives play out along with the lives of the people around them?
"Compton Connection: Coming of Age" is an important addition to books that feature young people in their late teens and the lives of those around them. Written in the language of African-American teens of that period, "Compton Connection" offers insight into the dangers of being young and black in today's world. Michael Mason is young, talented, and bright, but he is killed in a confrontation with the police. Edna Hicks is also young, talented and bright, but she is drawn all too easily into the world of illegal drug sales. Author W.F. Redmond writes well of the dangerous world that young African-Americans face, even if they are college-bound, and this is a story that should be widely read by people of all races, genders, and age groups.
