Page 6 - Dec_BoomerTimes_2020

South Florida’s Celebrity Author Shares Her Novels
Rose Mary Stiffin, Ph.D. was raised and educated in Indianola, Mississippi, the hometown of the blues legend, BB King. She
received her Bachelor of Art degree in Chemistry from Mississippi Valley State University (1974), her Master of Science degree
in Organic Chemistry from Mississippi State University (1981), and her Ph.D. (Biochemistry) from the University of Tennessee in
Memphis (1995). She did her post-doctoral work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. She is the
Chair of the Division of Health and Natural Sciences at Florida Memorial University, a small HBCU located in Miami Gardens, FL.

From The December Cover

Boomer Times Book of the Month

& Senior Life Review

WALK IN BETHEL GROOVIN’ ON THE HALF SHELL...
Author: Rose Mary Stiffin, Ph.D. — Reviewed by Anita Finley, Gerontologist A NOVEL...THE BIOGRAPHY OF
We are very privileged to be able and love of family. Nashville is BLUESMAN CARL MURRAY
to share the current books that Dr. Reverend Carl Thompson’s wife; Author: Rose Mary Stiffin, Ph.D. — Reviewed by Anita Finley, Gerontologist
Stiffin has written. We chose the she secretly considers prayers to I still find it difficult to believe that nicely, with respect, kindness and
first one, Walk in Bethel, to be on be no more than wishes yet believes there really wasn’t a Blues singer appreciation for one another. There
our cover and to make it the De- that God walks the Earth. Though named Carl Murray. I even looked it are many twists and turns and the
cember “Book of the Month” and she’s witnessed brutality, she’s also up on Google, hoping to find such major one was when Carl met a
her others, “Publisher’s Choices.” seen equality and human kindness. a man who was from Mississippi sassy and sexy woman, Jassa-
As I told Dr. Stiffin, her novel Returning from her Christian duty who spent most of his adult life in mae Freeman. The reader sees it
could be a TV show as it moves so to call upon the infirm—in this case Memphis. No luck! But this novel as his having an affair, then mov-
fast, has many poignant situations Belle Washington, a child-bride and made its characters so real that I ing on. But not Carl. When he got
and her characters are runaway who has lost am still not positive Jessamae pregnant,
so well developed that another child, Nashville about Carl! his dream of children
they seem very real. is dragged into a cotton As a fan of Blues became a reality, so
Bethel is in Mississippi field by two depraved music, I totally en- nothing would do but
and much of the dia- white youths, the Fer- joyed Carl’s charac- he convinced his wife
logue has the charac- guson brothers and ter, both as a family and Jessamae to be-
ters speaking southern would have been bru- man and as a musi- come part of his family.
and the flow continues tally raped if it weren’t cian. He was such a Carl Murray “shocked
throughout the begin- for Mike Poe fend- romantic and caring society and broke
ning chapters. This 441- ing off her attackers. person, yet the title the laws of decency
page novel is divided up Their desperate trek says it so well...he by not only falling in
into three books, with home is fraught with had two pearls: one love with Jessamae
many chapters in each book. These terror as they try to avoid the wife and one mistress, but taking his mis-
books are used as a separation of revenge-seeking brothers. The both of them in love with him and tress into the bosom of his To read this entire article, go to BoomerTimesFL.com.
what has happened to the various chaos leads to a desperate sin with each other. He married a very home.” The twists and turns of
characters as they aged and found without measure and conse quen- young Mississippi virgin, Gertrude, each chapter keep the reader spell-
themselves in new circumstances. ces that will follow them to their with no experience as a wife but bound with exciting but some-
The back cover of Walk in Bethel graves. Years later, when Nash- her innate intelligence made her a times heartbreaking scenarios.
summarizes quite succinctly the ville’s daughter, Allene, marries perfect partner for Carl who had Dr. Stiffin, the author, was our
big dreams of success as a singer “Publisher’s Choice” with her book
essence of what the reader is about Robert Sutton, a man with a mur- with his PLAN as to how he would Reflections in our November issue.
to enjoy. “A return of the Southern derous past, she’ll have no idea accomplish it. His success was go- She is a very talented novelist and
Gothic tradition and a testimony in what truth will haunt him and what ing according to plan, except his I highly recommend that you read
her Southern roots, author Rose fate will provide. This unforgetta- plan for having children was not every book she writes. That is why
Mary Stiffin’s debut novel Walk in ble saga links three families, sever- happening. we are featuring four of her books
Bethel is an earthy spellbinding al generations, and is ultimately a Segregation and integration was in our December issue. It will make
drama set in the sweltering Missis- story of survival, “for what we can handled very well. Carl and Gertrude having to be at home with COVID-13
sippi Delta.” With skeletons in the forgive is what we must never tried to find a job when they moved easier to manage.
closet and a myriad of back porch for get.” This is a perfect reason to from a small town and explained Here is one of the testimoni-
speculations, Stiffin writes in the turn off the TV and sit down with a what it was like for a black man and als: “Rose Stiffin uses her wit and
vernacular of a multi-family epic that good book. It will provide you with woman to live in the South in the imagination to pen her wonder-
describes the darkest passages of all the chatter and make you relish 1940s. It also inserted what Jew- ful ideas. Groovin’ is her latest
the human ear, as well as the well-lit your own life. ish business people went through. achievement. It is a must read.”
corridors of freedom, forgiveness The Murray’s lives intertwined so Jacques Bonenfant, MBA, Ph.D.
(To purchase WALK IN BETHEL, go to Amazon.com.) (To purchase GROOVIN’ ON THE HALF SHELL, go to Amazon.com)
6 / BoomerTimes & SeniorLife BoomerTimesFL.com DECEMBER 2020