by Damone Bester (Author)

Imagine the mid 1980's, last day of school, summer break. A teen rushes to meet his mother, who is being released from the hospital after cancer surgery. When the teen arrives, he finds out his mother is dead, but his ex-gangbanging dad, who's been in jail the last eight years is at the hospital ready to take the teen home. Mendel is a coming-of-age story about a high school senior who must learn how to forgive as he navigates life without his mother. Things come to a head when the teen accidentally finds his mom's diary. In the journal, he discovers his mother's dreams of becoming a collegiate track star were derailed due to getting pregnant with him. To honor his mother, he joins Mendel's track team, but before he could cash in on any scholarship offers, his father's thuggish past catches up with them when a gun-toting nemesis comes seeking revenge. The teen must decide between saving his own life or sacrificing it all to save his estranged father. Winner of the Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Fiction Work 2022 BookFest Award winner.

Author Biography

Damone Bester was born and raised on Chicago's Southside to blue-collar parents who were married 49 years, and one older brother, whose backyard scuffles taught Damone one lesson: "Never quit." He wasn't just a student at Mendel; he lived and breathed "Blue Smoke," the mantra of his track team brethren. A brief conversation with another Mendel alum stoked the fire to pen his first novel about the school he so loved.

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