{"title":"Jeff Boyd","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"weight-book-jeff-boyd-9781668007259","title":"The Weight","description":"\u003cb\u003eA powerful coming-of-age novel about a twenty-something Black musician living in predominantly white Portland, Oregon, playing in a rock band on the verge of success while struggling with racism, romance, and the legacy of his strict religious upbringing.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Julian Strickland is seemingly the lone Black man in the hipster dreamland of Portland, Oregon. To his friends, he's the coolest member of the scene: the soulful drummer from Chicago in an indie rock band that's just about to break through. But to himself, he's a sheltered Christian homeschool kid who used to write book reports on Leviticus. A virgin until the night of his marriage, divorced at twenty-four, he's still in disarray two years later--pretending to fit in, wondering if any of his relationships are real, estranged from his family, and struggling to reconcile his relationship with God.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Then he meets Ida Blair, a Black painter at the start of a promising career. They begin a tentative relationship, and Ida seems to offer Julian relief from his confusion. But suddenly she stops responding to his texts. Things only get worse when Julian's best friend mysteriously turns on him, his house burns down, and the band considers breaking up on the eve of their most important show yet. It seems the only thing Julian has left--the only thing he's ever had, really--is the weight he is carrying.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Jeff Boyd's beguiling first novel is a piercing exploration of faith, racial identity, love, and friendship--woven of acid humor, disarming vulnerability, and unforgettable poignance.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50388166738193,"sku":"CIN1668007258A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50388169457937,"sku":"CIN1668007258G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51046322569489,"sku":"NIN9781668007259","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52106967843089,"sku":"CIN1668007258VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1668007258.jpg?v=1751310827"},{"product_id":"weight-book-jeff-boyd-9781668007266","title":"The Weight","description":"A powerful coming-of-age novel about a twenty-something Black musician living in predominantly white Portland, Oregon, playing in a rock band on the verge of success while struggling with racism, romance, and the legacy of his strict religious upbringing.  Julian Strickland is seemingly the lone Black man in the hipster dreamland of Portland, Oregon. To his friends, he’s the coolest member of the scene: the soulful drummer from Chicago in an indie rock band that’s just about to break through. But to himself, he’s a sheltered Christian homeschool kid who used to write book reports on Leviticus. A virgin until the night of his marriage, divorced at twenty-four, he’s still in disarray two years later—pretending to fit in, wondering if any of his relationships are real, estranged from his family, and struggling to reconcile his relationship with God.   Then he meets Ida Blair, a Black painter at the start of a promising career. They begin a tentative relationship, and Ida seems to offer Julian relief from his confusion. But suddenly she stops responding to his texts. Things only get worse when Julian’s best friend mysteriously turns on him, his house burns down, and the band considers breaking up on the eve of their most important show yet. It seems the only thing Julian has left—the only thing he’s ever had, really—is the weight he is carrying.   Jeff Boyd’s beguiling first novel is a piercing exploration of faith, racial identity, love, and friendship—woven of acid humor, disarming vulnerability, and unforgettable poignance.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50468613226769,"sku":"CIN1668007266G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51046488473873,"sku":"NIN9781668007266","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1668007266.jpg?v=1750864460"},{"product_id":"hard-times-book-jeff-boyd-9781250348456","title":"Hard Times","description":"An extraordinary novel from a rising star, that follows the ripple effects of a tragic shooting throughout a Chicago community from the view of the teachers, police officers, and students impacted.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52772312383761,"sku":"NGR9781250348456","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53211519648017,"sku":"NIN9781250348456","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53505738670353,"sku":"CIN1250348455G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53631005163793,"sku":"CIN1250348455VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781250348456.jpg?v=1763769410"},{"product_id":"hard-times-book-jeff-boyd-9781250348470","title":"Hard Times","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn extraordinary crime novel from a rising star, that follows the ripple effects of a tragic shooting throughout a Chicago community from the view of the teachers, police officers, and students impacted\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"A deeply satisfying story with as much, heart, grit and history as the city that it's set in.\" --Xochitl Gonzalez,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eOlga Dies Dreaming\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Buddy Mack has been caught in the middle of two worlds at war.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e As an English teacher at a South Side, Chicago, high school lauded for its football team, but at risk in every other way, he tries to instill a love of literature. While all of his students face challenges, he's especially concerned with a trio of boys who test him to no end but are full of promise and heart: Zeke, the football star; Truth, the sweet-talking charmer; and Dontell, Buddy's most promising student.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e At home, his wife, Chrissy, a successful corporate lawyer, is ready to upgrade to a big house on the North Side and start a family, but Buddy's torn over the implications. 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