Amazon Just a Season Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Trafford ISBN-10:  1425107850 Type: Fiction Copyright: Jan 7, 2007 ISBN-13: 9781425107857 Just a Season is a luminous story into the life of a man who, in the midst of pain and loss, journeys back in time to reexamine all the important people, circumstances, and intellectual fervor that contributed to the richness of his life. This fictional narrative begins with a grief-stricken father visiting the gravesite of his beloved son who was killed in a tragic accident; a moment that he and no other loving parent should ever have to face. As he sadly gazes at his son's headstone and reads what is inscribed there, the dates 1981 - 2001 bring about an illuminating discovery. The tiny dash that separates the years of one's birth and death represents the whole of a person's life. So if this tiny dash were to tell his life's story, what would it say? In Just a Season, the dash of this man's life is revealed and what emerges from the pages of this book is a legacy of true benevolence and grace. Excerpt EXCERPT from Just a Season Prelude A season is a time characterized by a particular circumstance suitable to an indefinite period of time associated with a divine phenomenon that some call life. One of the first things I learned in this life was that it is a journey. During this passage through time I have come to realize that there are milestones, mountains, and valleys that everyone will encounter. Today, I have to face a valley and it's excruciating. It's June 28 th , a day that I once celebrated as a very special day. Now, it's filled with sorrow. The reason this day is different from all others is because I have come to the cemetery at Friendly Church . Normally it's hot and humid, as summer begins, but not so today. It's a cool gray day with the sky slightly overcast. I hear the echo of birds chirping from a distance. There is also a mist or a light fog hovering very near the ground that gives the aura of a mystical setting. This is a place where many of my family members who have passed away rest for eternity. Some have been resting here for over a hundred years. I have grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, a sister, and many friends here as well. The cemetery is in the most tranquil of places secluded from the rest of the world, very peaceful and beautiful, almost like being near the gateway of heaven. My heart aches today because I have come here on what would have been my son's birthday. This is a very hard thing for me to do as the natural order suggests it should be the other way around. Another difficulty is that this is the first time I will see his headstone that was put in place just a few days ago. Although I know what it should look like, it's going to be hard to actually see it. It will indicate the finality of losing the dearest of all human beings. It's hard to imagine what the rest of my life will be like without my precious son. As I pass Granddaddy's gravesite, I stop to say hello. After a brief moment, I continue in the direction of my son's resting place. As I get closer, I begin to receive a rush of emotion to the point that my movements slow as the sight comes into view. I can now see his name clearly and I whisper "God why did you take him?" I become numb as I finally arrive at his gravesite, overwhelmed with this never before known emotion. This is something I never thought I would ever have to do, but here I am!!! Suddenly, the sky begins to clear somewhat, as I now feel the sun's rays from above. At this very moment, I receive an epiphany upon reading the dates inscribed on the stone. 1981 – 2001. What does this really mean? The beginning and the end, surely, but in the final analysis it is just a tiny little dash that represents the whole life of a person. I fall to my knees realizing the profound impact of that thought causing me to look to the heavens and wonder. If someone, for whatever reason, were to tell the story concealed within my dash. What might they say?

RAWSISTAZ Review
Life Is A Season

After his son is killed, John Wells visits his grave and a season of reflection occurs. He wonders how his story will be written from the time of his birth to his death. He wonders what the dash between the two dates represents. John tells his story going back to the beginning of what his grandfather passed down, until that fateful day of the present.

JUST A SEASON by John T. Wills, is a likely story of old school versus new school but the old school won out every time. Based in a rural town in Maryland, Sylvanus Reid worked and lived on a "loaned" farm and raised his large family to the best of his ability. When John was born, to his unmarried mother and absentee father, he was the family's hope for the future. Along with his birth came a new age of America. Segregation began to crumble and there was money to be made by all. As John did a stint in Vietnam, he matured and so did his ideals. Returning from the war, he hustled his way through life with a single goal, making money. In his grandfather's final years, he offers John the family land to build a house. Awestruck, because he didn't know the land existed, John is forced to become the head of his extended family and an example for others to follow. He seeks out a wife, adopts a son, secures a corporate job, enters college and strives to live up to his grandfather's expectations.

The characters within the Wells family were developed and all played an important role in the story being told, however as other important characters were introduced and events occurred, their roles diminished. Their voices were unheard; this left a void in the story because of their importance. JUST A SEASON is laced with thought-provoking commentary on the Vietnam War, the assassinations of the 1960s, the migration of crack cocaine into inner-city neighborhoods, and a myriad of other ills that have rocked America. This is a very good piece intertwined with several history lessons spanning many decades.

Reviewed by Dawn Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers




New Book Review

Book Title: Just a Season

Just a Season is a chronicle of the life of John T.Wills, and his historical vision of the many events over the past 50 years. The author shows his humble recollection the of almost uncanny predictions made by his mentor and grandfather, Sylvanus Reed.

Wills' grandparents, as well as other close family members, had a tremendous impact on him and his goals in life. He knew from an early age that great things were expected from him, and that he was predicted to be the "one" to see great changes, and pull beyond the sharecropper existence of his forefathers, during his life. His values were handed down by an honorable, hardworking and ever hopeful family accustomed to poverty and hardship. Still looking for the American dream.

Just a Season is a work of love, respect and honor for those John T Wills came from, those that helped him along the way, and those helped creating a season of change, much needed, in the United States.

A book filled with the wonder of life, and the pain and growth encountered in living it.

Ron Watson, Editor
newbookreviews.org



APOOO BOOK CLUB REVIEW
The Dash -

What do you see when looking at a tombstone? There is a start date, a dash, and an end date, but what happens in between is the question posed in Just a Season by John T. Wills. Wills feels that your life is defined by the dash. So much has happened to you in your lifetime that only the dash can tell this significant story. This novel is a cross between a history reference guide and a boy's journey to becoming a man. This story takes place in the 1950s' where segregation, discrimination and prejudices were running rampant. Just a Season is a journey through Tucks' life, his love and dedication to his grandfather and family. Showcased are the trials-and- tribulations he faces growing up, and having to help support his family at a young age, to becoming a man and supporting a family of his own.

Just a Season embodied the traits of loyalty, guidance an the understanding of how to handle the pressure of being a young black man in a time when you could get lynched for speaking to the wrong woman, or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Wills pulls you in from the very first page and takes you step-by-step through the countryside dealing with farm living, to fighting in the war in Vietnam. I felt like I was there and was learning right along with him as he faced his biggest fears, and tried to defeat those who thought he did not have the courage or experience to become a strong black man in today's society.

Just a Season is a heart-wrenching story about growing up and believing in yourself. I highly recommend this book to young men in high school, trying to find themselves and feeling like they have nowhere to turn.

Reviewed by Cheryl H.
APOOO BookClub