"Dying Embers", by Glenn Trust

Set in the 1960’s during the time of school desegregation in the South USA, “Dying Embers” tell the story of love, hate and tragedy of six young people clinging to their friendship while racial bigotry rages around them.

Told from the teenage boys’ point of views, this moving story takes us through the struggles of both blacks and whites youths as they have to deal with the realities of desegregation and the white racists’ hatred. Mr. Trust excels in portraying the racial attitudes of the time and creating a reading experience that has held me captive till the last page. I do remember the time of the civil rights movements and the many race riots in the 60’s. It was also the time of the Vietnam War, a time when America was in turmoil inside and outside its borders. The story is well- written to bring out the personalities of each character in roles so realistic and so close to history. How the change in the law had affected all segment of society is cleverly used in this fiction to make us realize how complex and dangerous the situation was during that time.

Mr. Trust has a fantastic way with words and has provided another atmospheric novel hard to put down. Some may think the tempo is on the slow side, but I think the author wanted for us to understand the human strengths and frailties and did so through his characters.