Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut Ages 9 and up Mam is dying of cancer

Mam is dying of cancer

With the pace and suspense of a thriller and prose that has been compared to Graham Greene and Saul Bellow

Fearing for his life

she packs her kids and a friend into her car and sets out across the state for Parchman farm

or the public face of a local nonprofit or association

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut Ages 9 and up Mam is dying of cancerThe barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty. That crisp yet subtle line makes boys sharper, more visible, more aware of every great thing that could happen to them when they look good: lesser grades turn into As; girls take notice; even a mothers hug gets a little tighter.