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WAYNE L WILSON
Author
One Shining Soul
Ever since Olisa was a child, Joseph Timmerman has feared that the world might one day find out what he has always known about his daughter - that she has been blessed with very special gifts. Such a discovery might not only shatter their family's lives but cause Olisa to suffer potentially grave consequences. His anxieties are realized on a fateful 4th of July. A minor skirmish flares into a major conflagration between gangs on the renowned Venice Beach Boardwalk. People flee in all directions except for one woman. She is not afraid as she cradles the head of a notorious gang leader who has been fatally stabbed. While she tenderly massages his bloodied chest, it seems like time has come to a standstill. The fighting ends and the beachgoers watch intently. When the young man slowly rises to his feet clutching his chest not from pain, but from shock, a collective gasp is uttered. A random shout of "It's a miracle!" reverberates across the Boardwalk. However, the impact of this phenomenon will not be exclusive to Venice Beach. A local reporter, who on a fluke captured this miracle on film, will broadcast it throughout the world. The event catapults this striking, yet demure woman to fame overnight. One Shining Soul is a story about an extraordinarily gifted woman. What if the very embodiment of goodness and love, the salvation of a people, came in the form of a small, beautiful Black woman, born of the Los Angeles riots and living amidst gangbangers? Could our contemporary society simply accept this gift or would it seek to corrupt her into an icon, a diva, and a commercial entity the likes of which the earth has never known? What is known is that the world's survival may rest on her delicate shoulders.
Reviews
Hopeful and tender, intimate yet sweeping, this impassioned novel from Wilson family drama, spiritual mystery, some toothy media and religious satire, and a father’s touching concern for his suddenly famous daughter. An uplifting message shines through the narrative, even as the story touches on gang violence, fraudulent preachers, and the madness of American crowds. Wilson has written a call for love and grace. But for all its heady concerns and no-fooling miracles, One Shining Soul is blessedly down-to-Earth in its scenes, characterization, and understanding of life.

That’s a rarity in fiction that dares to imagine divinity walking among us today. Wilson’s story comes from the perspective of a father whose daughter, Olisa, was born in a motel during the Los Angeles riots of 1992, demonstrates miraculous abilities throughout her childhood, from saving the lives of pets to seeming to communicate with voices from beyond our realm. When she returns home to Venice Beach after serving in the Peace Corps, Olisa, through some power inside her, publicly heals a gang leader who had been fatally stabbed. Soon, reporters are after her, supplicants are beseeching her, and Joe, her restauranter father, discusses with the family what to do next. Joe’s uncomfortable with the consensus: Olisa will go public, with PR reps and a splashy concert spearheaded by her brother Noel, a record industry wunderkind.

That’s a grabber of a hook, and Wilson writes strong, long, compelling scenes with crisp, convincing dialogue and an interest in the many moral and cultural angles of a Black woman as a holy savior in contemporary America. No surprise that she’s soon targeted by megachurch televangelists and other hateful types, though Wilson brings fresh wit and energy to these encounters. Holding to Joe’s perspective means readers don’t get much understanding of Olisa’s inner life, but through her Wilson forcefully advances the conviction that “living a life guided by love and compassion is the way to uncomplicate our existence.”

Takeaway: Warm, ambitious novel of a divine healer born in L.A. and sharing her love.

Comparable Titles: Gayl Jones’s The Healing, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+

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