Awards

• Winner of Helen Bernstein Book Award 1993

Overview

Amidst the poverty, crime and despair in one of New York's worst neighbourhoods, a small Black Church led by its charismatic and controversial leaders, Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood, has banded together to rise above its dismal surroundings. This book takes an in-depth look at the St Paul Community Baptist Church and its inspiring leader, and follows several members through the course of a year. Through these men and women and through the many groups the Church has sponsored (for teenagers, African-American men, drug abusers), the reader is told a story of faith, courage and spirituality that offers a glimmer of hope for the present and the future. The book won the 1993 Helen B. Bernstein Award for excellence in journalism. Samuel G. Freedman is the author of ""Small Victories"".

Full Product Details

9780060924591

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Reviews

""A testament to how an individual and a group can be innovative, resourceful and brave--and achieve the near-impossible."" -- New York Times ""This elegantly written book reawakens us to the fullness of the human spirit."" -- Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here ""Freedman's vivid, wonderfully affecting book. . . is journalism of the highest order, a compassionate account of a year in the life of an extraordinary man, a charismatic Brooklyn preacher named Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood, . . . . A sharply focused, triumphant hymn-shouting wonder of a book documenting the spiritual and worldly struggles of a people grappling with everyday realities that would test the convictions of a saint."" -- Entertainment Weekly (A) ""A rich book . . . it makes you want to weep with rage."" -- Chicago Tribune ""This biography, falling somewhere between journalism and poetry, is full of sweat and struggle."" -- Melissa Fay Greene, Los Angeles Times ""The struggles and victories of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church, its pastor and its parishioners, is a story worth telling. The fact that it is so eloquently and captivatingly rendered makes Upon This Rock all the more a worthwhile read and inspiration."" -- Black Enterprise ""At a time when most of the nation has written off the possibility of a revitalization of our inner-city neighborhoods, Upon This Rock, provides a route back to hope for all readers."" -- Christian Science Monitor ""Vividly captures the story of a man and people who are transforming lives and communities every day."" -- Reverend Jesse Jackson ""Brilliant."" -- People ""An important book. . . . Its existence is an ostensive definition of the secular miracles we need to discover if we are to survive as a nation of honor."" -- Boston Globe

A testament to how an individual and a group can be innovative, resourceful and brave--and achieve the near-impossible. -- New York Times This elegantly written book reawakens us to the fullness of the human spirit. -- Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here Freedman's vivid, wonderfully affecting book. . . is journalism of the highest order, a compassionate account of a year in the life of an extraordinary man, a charismatic Brooklyn preacher named Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood, . . . . A sharply focused, triumphant hymn-shouting wonder of a book documenting the spiritual and worldly struggles of a people grappling with everyday realities that would test the convictions of a saint. -- Entertainment Weekly (A) A rich book . . . it makes you want to weep with rage. -- Chicago Tribune This biography, falling somewhere between journalism and poetry, is full of sweat and struggle. -- Melissa Fay Greene, Los Angeles Times The struggles and victories of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church, its pastor and its parishioners, is a story worth telling. The fact that it is so eloquently and captivatingly rendered makes Upon This Rock all the more a worthwhile read and inspiration. -- Black Enterprise At a time when most of the nation has written off the possibility of a revitalization of our inner-city neighborhoods, Upon This Rock, provides a route back to hope for all readers. -- Christian Science Monitor Vividly captures the story of a man and people who are transforming lives and communities every day. -- Reverend Jesse Jackson Brilliant. -- People An important book. . . . Its existence is an ostensive definition of the secular miracles we need to discover if we are to survive as a nation of honor. -- Boston Globe

A testament to how an individual and a group can be innovative, resourceful and brave--and achieve the near-impossible. --New York Times This elegantly written book reawakens us to the fullness of the human spirit. --Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here

Author Information

Samuel G. Freedman, who has won numerous awards for investigative reporting and feature writing, is a former reporter for The New York Times. He has written frequently for Rolling Stone and has taught in the Columbia University Graduate Departments of Theater and Journalism. He lives in New York City with his wife, Cynthia.

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