One Day I Saw a Black King

by J.D. Mason

Book Overview

Ever since he was fifteen, John King has been on the run from the ghosts of his past. Drifting from place to place, John never settles down in one place or with one woman. That is, until he rolls into Denver, Colorado, grooving to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and meets Connie Rogers. Having grown up on the mean streets, Connie has pain and battle scars of her own. Yet, it is her beautiful and lonely face that inspires John to think, "If indeed...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312306199
• ISBN13: 9780312306199
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 346 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A superb work of fiction!

One Day I Saw A Black King by J.D. Mason Lest we forget the compelling nature of a good story where poignancy meets poetic prowess, and when angst transforms to accept accord, literary tranquility can always define the aforementioned without missing a beat. Quickly on the heels (and none too soon) of her last book (On The Eight Day She Rested), author J.D. Mason has given us another just like the other one with her newest release, One Day I Saw A Black King. Character-driven stories with personnel strong in conviction, clarifying setting to determine tone and tenor, this is a story with all of the elements indicative to keep you riveted in your choice to read this book. It's audible with just the right decibels to let you hear the author depict why she can write to be heard through her characters.This is more than just a common thread of thought uniting the discourse of this novel. Mason's book weaves an incredible but believable tale of people journeying to empowerment, casting aside the constraints of freedom, and the confidence to love again. It's about love lost, love imagined, and love gone wrong. Therein you will find the author delving into and interweaving the rudiments of child molestation, adoption, child abandonment, prostitution, and all the trials identifying with protagonistic characters, Connie and John.John, the product of a mother raped and subsequent disfellowship from the familial fold by a guilt-ridden grandmother, is forced to start life on the run. A mother he never knew is the fodder to credence to explore the past to understand the future. Connie, a taciturn and bitter child was wise beyond her years as her mother abandoned her and a younger sibling. Forced in the life of prostitution, she too endeavored to find sanctity in a world unforgiving and less accepting, but manages to live to learn what it truly meant to love unconditionally.Despite its slow beginning and without concrete bonding leading up to the crux of the story, the author in lieu of opting to give immediacy to such strong characters, decided to craft a detailed storyline to illustrate several points of view to give the story foundation one would definitely appreciate as the real story unfold. This work coupled with her debut novel, will solidify J.D. Mason a safe rung on the ladder to the top, proving to be on equal footing with her peers with this sophmore effort. Read this book and you will see why I give it five stars and wished for more!

Will the Black King find happiness?

One Day I Saw A Black King is a wonderful story about how love and time softened two battered hearts. John King and Connie Rodgers share similar history. They were both abandoned and learned through trial and error how to survive. John lives by running from town to town extinguishing any ties he made while there. Connie runs from man to man leaving a piece of herself with each one. Now these two are slowing down. They know how to survive, but not how to live. Being with one another showed them that they do actually want some stability and maybe even love in their lives; however, for them to move forward, they must confront their pasts and deal with the pains that catapulted their flights and trauma.J.D. Mason takes her time and unfolds this story. She sagaciously threads cadence, characters, and plot together and creates a searing tale of repentance, deliverance, and acceptance. I was mesmerized from the first page. The characters and story lingered in my mind long after I finished reading the book. You've got to read this book. You'll love it.

Kudos for J.D. Mason!

The book One Day I Saw A Black King grabbed my attention from the moment I started reading it. I loved the way the author took me back in time to visit the character John King's family history. Some heavy secrets are revealed which explains why John grew up to be a handsome, yet untrusting and lonely man. Second, the character Charlotte made me want to smack some sense into her! How could she abandon her two young girls, Connie and Reesy, for a man? They are separated--Reesy gets adopted into a wonderful family while Connie struggles with rape and homelessness. After many failed relationships for both Connie and John, I am relieved that they have found each other. They both realize that they love each other and are working to fix their internal issues. Connie and Reesy have found each other after many years, but their relationship is anything but close. Wonderful story! This story will continue in a second book. I can hardly wait for it's release!

Gripping, Compelling, Real

John King's life can be compared to anything except royalty. Born under tragic circumstances, he literally punched his way into the world. The midwife who delivered him believed he was a demon childand nearly succumbed to voices telling her to kill him as he was being born. Raised by a grandmother who detested the sight of him, John is forced to flee Bueller, Texas when he is fifteen years old with too many unanswered questions of how he came to be. Life for him is one city after another, too many temporary liaisons and an emptiness that threatens to consume him.Connie Rogers and her sister were deserted by their mother when they were twelve and eight years old. Her sister was adopted andConnie was placed in the foster care program. At the age of fourteen she flees the foster home and lives on the streets of Denver surviving by any means necessary. Her reality is that she exists because someone needs a doormat on which to walk. Numerous one night encounters have brought more heartache than a young girl should have. When the faces of all the men she has known merge into one face that haunts her, she seeks a way to save herself.King's travels places him in Denver at a time when he is tired of running from his demons and his past. John's and Connie's meeting is not monumental because, while both know how to survive, neither knows how to live. As a reader I hoped the hard times they'd endureddid not make them believe heartache is all life had to offer them.ONE DAY I SAW A BLACK KING is Connie's testament to a wayward John King who stirs unfamiliar feelings in her. The story is haunting and sometimes joyless as it pulls you into the lives of the characters. All of the pieces are in place for this one, the storyline is exceptional, the characters are real, and the pace is on target. Though the secondary characters have their own story to tell, Ms. Mason expertly uses them to enhance the flow of this story. Much more than a story about survival; this is a story about standing toe-to-toe with life and learning how to live it. I felt this story in the recesses of my being and I did not close this book unscathed. This is an excellent look at the endurance of the human spirit and the second step toward Ms. Mason establishing herself as a gifted writer.Reviewed by aNN Brownof The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

A Night In Shining Armor

Life was never kind to John King or Connie Rogers. John, a drifter by circumstance, claims his home is his car and the road is his paradise. Marvin Gaye's "Lets Get It On" is his mantra. Connie is a child of the streets. Forced to live on the streets of Denver, Colorado as child, Connie had and continues to have a hard road to toll. One Day I Saw A Black King by J. D. Mason is her second novel of individuals down on their luck and living with the hand they are dealt. Mason opens the door to John's car and out steps a black king. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language defines a king as a male sovereign; one that is supreme or preeminent in a particular group, category, or sphere. Is this the same king that Connie comes into contact with? Both characters are running from their pasts. John's past is rooted in Texas and haunts him daily. With a little mysticism, Mason has captured John's spirit and desires. Hauntingly, Connie's past is right there in Denver, never allowing her to forget or to move on. When these two lost souls come together is it out of need, lust or is it pure romance? Is Connie the woman that finally grabs a hold of John never to let go?Mason has incorporated excellent secondary characters with exciting dialogue that add depth to the story line for a better understanding of how and why John and Connie came to be. The novel opens with an atrocious event and ends with a satisfying conclusion. The story is heart wrenching, touching and the characters are fully developed. This is an excellent novel of individuals attempting to overcome their past and live for today and for the future. Reviewed by Dawn R. ReevesAPOOO BookClub