NOTE: 7 Sanctuaries is not available at this time while it undergoes a rewrite, editing and a little tune-up. A second edition will be released in the near future. Check here for updates.

An Unusual Time of Transformation

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     A time like few others, when forces converged on a world that would never be the same again.  When people face times of tumultuous transformation, they often seek solace and comfort in safe havens, sanctuaries to protect themselves and their loved ones from the stormy world around them.
     So it was. Desegregation, a war in Southeast Asia, a growing group of idealistic young people, technological marvels and new threats abroad and domestic swirled together to usher in a season of change such has never been seen before. People sought refuge in their own safe places. 
     7 Sanctuaries will introduce you to characters like George Roberts, the businessman, Rev. Stephen Phillips, the ‘Radical Preach”, Rob, a student and his mother, Katie as they experience the 60s from the perspectives of their own sanctuaries. They will be joined by the gentle giant stoner, Dave and his flowerchild girlfriend, Missy, Mayor El Rawlings and Larry Watson who sported the first Afro in Springlake, Florida. Their lives intertwine through the decade and come together in one night of fear, tragedy and hope.    

Some sanctuaries stood the test of time. 
Others did not.
"A well-told tale about a time we cannot afford to forget." 
- Bonnie Hearn Hill
"What Sharpton does particularly well in 7 Sanctuaries is to remind us of the social issues and national events that made the 1960s such a tumultuous--but fascinating--era. For Baby Boomers and those who want some perspective on the people who lived during that time, 7 Sanctuaries offers a primer on what the '60s in a Southern small town was all about." 
- George Weinstein, author and Pulitzer nominee for Hardscrabble Road

Read 7 Sanctuaries for your next Book Club Meeting

Drop me a not if you'd like to invite me to lead your next book club meeting by Skype/FaceTime (Apple) teleconferencing or in person.

 Or, Do It Yourself...

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     Interested in leading your own book club study of 7 Sanctuaries? Download the free Leader's Guide by clicking on the Download File link below.
7_sanctuaries_leaders_guide.pdf
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Free Books for Book Reviewers

     If you are a book reviewer, or you write a blog, you can receive free copies of 7 Sanctuaries by clicking here and leaving a note on the Comment Me page.

7 Sanctuaries book trailer
Winner- 2012 eLit Book Trailer Award, Bronze Category

Whatever Happened to the Citizens of Springlake, Florida?

     Glad you asked. Click on the link below to download a short epilogue that highlights what some of the main characters are doing today. The epilogue is in the eBook version, but not the paperback. NOTE: If you haven't finished the book, don't read the epilogue, yet. It reveals certain events from the book that are better described in the paperback.  
7_sanctuaries_epilogue.pdf
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Missy's Story

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     I kinda missed Missy, the spacy hippie girl who visited Stephen Phillips in Springlake, so I wrote a short story about her and things that happened in our country on about July 21, 1969. Click on the button below to download a .doc file of the story.

     "Something In The Air" won 2nd Honorable Mention in the Writers/Editors Network (formerly Florida Freelance Writers Association) contest.

Comment

This comment came from the wife of a retired minister. Thank you!

"I really liked it.  It certainly brought back memories of what life was like back then.  The characters brought faces to mind of people I actually knew.  I never thought of work as being a sanctuary but it certainly is.  One tends to think of a sanctuary as a physical location but it certainly can be a relationship.
 
"Thank you very much for sharing with us.  I will be on the lookout for The 3rd Option."

                                REVIEWS

Cheryl Hibbard - ForeWord Clarion Review
Five Stars (out of Five) 
"...a darn good story"
     The concept of sanctuary often carries religious overtones, and there is indeed something personally sacred about any place where an individual feels safe and secure. Sharpton has taken the concept further in his new novel, 7 Sanctuaries, offering seven different but intertwined tales of people seeking and finding their own safe havens from turmoil in the racially divided American South of the 1960s.
      The fictional Springlake, Florida, serves as the small-town setting for Sharpton’s overlapping stories, and the cast of characters is extensive and varied, but it is the 1960s that function as the star attraction. Sharpton’s details are incredibly precise, and his tales are certain to evoke very clear memories for anyone who lived through that era. Younger readers, in particular, are cautioned that the language the characters use is not considered politically correct today, but Sharpton’s depiction of the place and the times is decidedly accurate.
      Racial strife, segregation, integration, and their related societal issues simmer in the background as the decade begins. As the Civil Rights Movement makes headway, even in the small town of Springlake, accepted norms begin to crumble, and the simmer soon turns to a full boil.
      Confusion and uncertainty reign as unknown consequences loom. It is a time of serious change, and as one character wryly comments, “Sure, some people say they like change ... But when it gets right down to it, the only thing good about change is the feeling we get when we drop a little into the offering plate.” In such tumultuous days, people seek sanctuary. Sharpton offers it to his characters in their homes, their schools, their work, their churches, and more, but it is never quite enough.
     Sharpton captures the mood and spirit of the era so well that it is easy to forget sometimes that his story is fiction. The characters are realistic, and many feel positively familiar, like someone known years ago, back home. The 60s were a time of great transition and turbulence, but many who lived through them neither can nor want to forget. Those less familiar with the era may trust that Sharpton’s 7 Sanctuaries offers a valid portrayal of some of what small-town America faced during those years. In addition to that, it is simply a darn good story.

Norm Goldman, Publisher of Bookpleasures.com
Four Stars out of Five
"What really stands out... is the authenticity of Sharpton's voice"
     In the form of narrative history Ben A. Sharpton with his 7 Sanctuaries looks back over the defining moments of the 1960s- an era, as he states in the Preface, that was fuelled by idealism of the youth crusading for peace, prosperity, and purpose, challenging old norms and conventional wisdom. Although we often believe it only affected large cities as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, it nonetheless had a profound effect on all America including unfamiliar rural towns that likewise experienced the growing pains of the decade. It is the decade when President Kennedy was elected and assassinated, the Freedom Riders with white civil rights activists are testing federal laws that granted equal rights to blacks. Nature is also making itself heard in the form of hurricane Donna- a storm that lasted for nine days, causing immense destruction and loss of life.
     The old secure framework of morality, authority, and discipline disintegrated as people would seek assuagement in safe havens or sanctuaries for themselves and their loved ones from the transformations around them. According to Sharpton: “Some of these sanctuaries have what it takes to stand the test of time. Other inevitably fail.”
   The first few pages of the novel firmly ensconces the reader in the early 1960s world with the Franklin family, Katie, husband Ray and her two sons Robby and Tim who live in Springlake, Florida. Their lives resemble the popular television sitcoms of the era where everything on the surface seems hunky dory until racial tension between blacks and whites begin to intensify. The enduring prejudices and resentment are boiling away just beneath the surface of small-town life.
   Ray is employed in the town's popular hardware store, where blacks use the back door to be served and pay for their purchases. According to the store's owner, “they seemed to like it that way since we dealt with them on a more personal level and they wouldn't be embarrassed if they couldn't read or do math.” On the other hand, the federal government was enacting some legislation that forced businesses to permit blacks into public places. However, for some of the inhabitants of Springlake this was asking too much, after all, as the owner of a car dealership rationalizes, “we gave them their own separate restrooms, so what more could they want?” Entrenched racist attitudes are hardened, guns and rifles are easily purchased, and there is a general feeling among many whites that “black people are causing so much trouble all over the country”-all of which is a perfect recipe for disaster in the form of riots which do eventually transpire.
   Sharpton employing brutal realism effectively unveils fragments of the lives of the inhabitants of Springlake as he explores their sanctuaries concerning business, nature, school, the church, the gym, and the world and the rest of it. A field that once represented peace, calm and hope is now one of the the staging grounds of the Ku Klux Klan in their spread of hatred. The church is undergoing profound changes and no longer is timeless, eternal and unmoved by history, although it does continue to serve the needy as best it could. The school's gym, which used to be considered inviting and safe is likewise not immune from change.
   What really stands out in this well-paced novel is the authenticity of Sharpton's voice as he meticulously draws portraits of the tumultuous world he grew up in. His characters are not wooden cartoon small-town folks without flesh and blood-they are alive and kicking reflecting an era that was undergoing vast change with profound ramifications.

Donald Eugene Brown, Review-Worm.com
Four Stars out of Five
"Sharpton took no prisoners as he loaded both barrels of his novel with words of hate and hope, all to make his point."
     In 7 Sanctuaries, by Ben A. Sharpton, Novel Voices Press, 2012, the author takes you back in time to entertain and educate you. His chosen voices are the 7 Sanctuaries, sometimes referred to as the Social Institutions of Society. He took fragments of the 60’s history, sprinkled them with liberal doses of realistic fiction to produce a comprehensive picture of insight and causal association all leading up to the Anti-Vietnam/Civil Rights Revolution. Sharpton took no prisoners as he loaded both barrels of this novel with words of hate and hope, all to make his point. 
      Dialogue exchanges are very dynamic and realistic. At no point did I run into an awkward exchange. Logical ethos and appropriate character pathos flow throughout the book.
     Each chapter’s purpose was very profound in the big scheme of things. I believe some of the social institutions or sanctuaries could be accidentally dismissed because they seem so simple. Each sanctuary is deceptively anything but simple. However, a discerning eye and a discriminating mind will critically explore the depth of each chapter’s potential, and catch the finer points that bind souls to a higher purpose.
      Overall, I rate 7 Sanctuaries as a four-star book. Mainly because of Ben A. Sharpton’s clever infusion of life into Stephen Phillips, the Franklins: Katie, Ray, Tim and Rob; Larry Watson; Cale Kinney; George Roberts and others in this nicely written historical book of fiction that depicts the opposing winds of change that ignited the Civil Rights Revolution. Seven distinctive overlapping voices create a harmonic chorus which serves to explain some of the “whys” to life in the 60s. It takes a special type of courage, resolve, and stability to venture into a dark past and come out with light! “7 Sanctuaries” accomplishes this mission. Sharpton chose to illuminate a difficult period in our country’s history. He draws from his own experiences and from history in a methodical way to cogently convey the interdependencies of seven institutions. Sharpton exposes our past common vulnerabilities, ignorance and struggles for meaning in our pursuit to find refuge during tumultuous change. We’ll know that we’ve arrived to the highest sanctuary when we can say with conviction “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends!” Whether a Baby-Boomer or not, the book has lessons for us all. History learned will not repeat itself. 

C. Crenshaw, Fearless Reviews
"This optimism, the excellent story-telling, and the well-wrought characters all combine to make the book an interesting and inspiring read."

     Through seven intertwined stories set in a small town called Springlake, Florida, during the years surrounding the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this compelling novel depicts the violent and noble beginnings of the end of racially based inequalities. Seven white Americans deal with integration, some with profound grace and decency, some with basest greed and stupidity. Yet even the store owner who thinks only about the profitability, and not the consequences, in selling handguns during this time of unrest gives readers a glimpse into a tense, confusing, yet profound time in American history.
     Through oblique references to one another, the stories keep us motivated to tie together loose storylines. Katie Franklin inspires her children through the simple act of drinking coffee at a certain time and place, with a certain audience. Reverend Phillips creates a haven for the homeless, never realizing the eventual consequence to his own life. An innocuous cliffhanger in a chapter entitled “Business” becomes a horrifying and compelling revelation at the very end of the final chapter.
     Perhaps best is the expressed belief that humans can embrace and support one another despite their differences. As Reverend Phillips observes while waiting in a hospital with two families, black and white, to see if a young man will live: “Two families of different races were joined at a time of crisis.  If it could happen here, it could happen throughout our country as well.” The stories acknowledge the dangerous power of ignorance and prejudice, but do much more to highlight human bravery, thoughtfulness, and caring.  This optimism, the excellent story-telling, and the well-wrought characters all combine to make the book an interesting and inspiring read.

Richard R. Blake, Reader Views
"A Masterpiece of brilliant writing."

     In his book “7 Sanctuaries,” Ben A. Sharpton introduces a series of seven vignettes focused on life in a small Southern town in the 1960s. Each vignette is viewed from a different perspective. However, each story is intertwined into a riveting, emotionally-charged reading experience. For me the book became a challenging self-examination of acquired attitudes, core values, opportunities shunned, goals accomplished, friendships made, and relationships squandered.
     Sharpton captures an unrestrained embryonic change taking place in a decade of fear-provoking, puzzling, and electrifying idealism, technological advances, desegregation, and war in Southeast Asia - an era filled with possibilities, of hopefulness, and prospect in the midst of a stormy world of conflict and despair.
     Katie Franklin, who sought her sanctuary in family, found herself confronting the legal authorities to lend her support to the Freedom Riders. Katie’s son Rob, who sought sanctuary in education and the school gym, joins the conflict against the injustice, bias and the resultant hatred of racial bigotry. George Roberts sought after sanctuary through business success at a time when government intervention created an atmosphere leading to rioting and destruction. Stephen Phillips found sanctuary in the church and committed himself to saving kids from lives of depravity, drugs, and discrimination. These individuals and others are drawn together in the framework of sanctuary in a southern community of Springlake, Florida.
     Ben’s writing creates a sense of the racial tension and resentment portrayed in the novel. I found the message to be a forceful reminder that the changes that took place in the era of the 60s is still in process. I was left with a gripping, lingering sense of realism as I relived those stormy times and became sensitive to a personal need to live more passionately and at a higher level of commitment to impact needed social change today.
     Careful character development, a socially important plot, and insightful writing combine to make “7 Sanctuaries” by Ben A. Sharpton a masterpiece of brilliant writing. 

Janie Sullivan, Center for Writing Excellence
"...it is written as if it were a true story, and completely believable as truth."
     Ben A. Sharpton’s book, “7 Sanctuaries,” paints a slice-of-life portrait of the tumultuous ‘60s from seven different viewpoints. Set in a fictional small town in Florida, the story revolves around some of the most important life-changing years in our history...
     He spins his story through the eyes and thoughts of everyday people: a traditional family, a minister challenging his beliefs, a store owner trying to take care of his family, a white high school student fueled with anger about the changes taking place in his world, another white high school student with a black friend who does not understand why there is a problem with people who are ‘different.’ Each of them takes to their individual sanctuaries in ways that either help them cope or hinder their progress. The angry white student ended up in prison because of his blinding hate and anger. The story is authentic, the voices of the characters are heart-wrenchingly real and the era of the ‘60s is exposed in a way that made me wonder why my life during those times was relatively unaffected. At least on the surface – there were profound changes in the fabric of all of our lives then, just not as obvious to some as others.
     The characters are all interwoven, but not directly part of each other’s lives. Sharpton ties them together very loosely, just as people in any small town are tied together without living in each other’s back yards. Some, like the minister and the two sons of the traditional family, interact more than others; again, an authentic depiction of life in any small town. Although this is a fiction work, it is written as if it were a true story, and is completely believable as the truth.

Brian Heffron, poet, filmmaker and author of Colorado Mandala
"The book also has a Rashomon quality to it, in that we revisit the same incident in different chapters with a different point of view on what occurs."

     In 7 Sanctuaries, Ben Sharpton explores the areas of human life where we all find comfort. Whether it is in family, business, nature,  school, church, athletics, or our home towns, Sharpton accurately and movingly portrays the places in life where the pain of life is eased and we can all exhale.
 
     In fact, Sharpton, through his exploration of each of these comfort zones, gives us an almost Faulkner like exposure to the small town community of Springlake, Florida. He knows its streets, parks, schools, stores, and people like he was one of them himself. We meet its merchants, it maids, its laborers, its bigots and bullies. We see interracial friendships form that last a lifetime. We see marriages grow up and mature. We watch citizens show courage and cowardice. And we watch as a decade of change reeks terrible pain and suffering on a community we have grown to know and love.
      My favorite section was the one that starts this wonderful book, the chapter on family. Here, Sharpton vividly recreates the family life of the Franklin family of four, two parent and two boys who are actually led by the freethinking, deeply spiritual matriarch, Mrs. Kate Franklin. She leads her family by example and is unafraid to differ with her neighbors, her fellow parishioners, or even the police. Her unfailing courage under all circumstances is a heart-moving quality that no reader will be able to ignore. Her character is moving and real. Her boys were lucky to have such a strong maternal influence and this goodness shows later in how they go on to live out their lives!
      The book also has a Rashomon quality to it, in that we revisit the same incident in different chapters with a different point of view on what occurs. This technique adds depth and layers of understanding to the work. It also helps the reader see many sides of each event and this more rounded approach makes the book richer and more engaging.
      So, if you are seeking a compelling and accurate exploration of the 1960s and their effect on the American people and its culture I highly recommend 7 Sanctuaries by Ben Sharpton.