{"product_id":"saga-boy-my-life-of-blackness-and-becoming-antonio-michael-downing","title":"Saga Boy: My Life of Blackness and Becoming;  Antonio Michael Downing","description":"\u003cdiv data-testid=\"description\" class=\"BookPageMetadataSection__description\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"TruncatedContent\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--large TruncatedContent__text--expanded\" data-testid=\"contentContainer\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"DetailsLayoutRightParagraph\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"DetailsLayoutRightParagraph__widthConstrained\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Formatted\"\u003eAntonio Michael Downing's memoir of creativity and transformation is a startling mash-up of memories and mythology, told in gripping, lyrical prose. Raised by his indomitable grandmother in a hot, verdant Trinidad, Downing at age 11 is uprooted to Canada when she dies. But not urban Toronto: he and his older brother are sent to live with his stern evangelical Aunt Joan, in Waubigoon, a mostly Indigenous community in northern Ontario where they are the only black children in the town. In this wilderness, he begins his journey as an immigrant minority, using music and performance to dramatically transform himself. At the heart of his odyssey is the search for a home. He briefly reunites with the feckless biological parents who abandoned him--Al, a womanizing con man and drug addict, and Gloria, twice abandoned by Al, who seems to regard her sons as cash machines. Downing finds surrogate families, whose love he can't fully accept, and later, enters a string of romantic relationships that fail.\u003cbr\u003eHis saga takes him to New York to Toronto and to Manchester, where he will begin his European musical tour with Liam Gallagher of Oasis. He and his artistic collaborator Gada Jane create the gold-chain laden, sequin and leather clad rock star \"John Orpheus.\" While abroad, Downing receives word that a fire has destroyed most of his belongings. He feels liberated, free to create his new self, one that has accepted and risen above the family dyfunction and trauma of his early years.\u003cbr\u003eRichly evocative,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBecoming John Orpheus\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eis a heart-wrenching but uplifting story of a lonely immigrant boy who overcomes adversity and abandonment to reclaim his black identity and embrace a rich heritage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJanuary 19, 2021\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"TruncatedContent__text TruncatedContent__text--medium TruncatedContent__text--expanded\" data-testid=\"contentContainer\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"DetailsLayoutRightParagraph\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"DetailsLayoutRightParagraph__widthConstrained\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Formatted\"\u003eANTONIO MICHAEL DOWNING grew up in southern Trinidad, Northern Ontario, Brooklyn, and Kitchener. He is a musician, writer, and activist based in Toronto. His 2010 debut novel, Molasses (Blaurock Press), was published to critical acclaim. In 2017 he was named by the RBC Taylor Prize as one of Canada's top Emerging Authors for nonfiction. He performs and composes music as John Orpheus.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"FREEAIR Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49495146004802,"sku":"","price":8.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/8735\/3154\/files\/sagaboy.jpg?v=1722454435","url":"https:\/\/shop.freeairbooks.com\/products\/saga-boy-my-life-of-blackness-and-becoming-antonio-michael-downing","provider":"FREEAIR Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}