The Bicycle Man Author:David L. Dudley Twelve-year-old Carissa lives with her widowed mother, Lorena, — in rural Georgia. There aren"t many ways for a black woman in — the South in 1927 to make a living. Lorena does laundry for white — ladies, but she wants Carissa to have the opportunities that come — with education. Both of them yearn to move up north, where — Carissa was born. — Into th... more »eir lives rides an elderly man on a shiny blue bicycle.
Bailey is a wanderer, a storyteller, a thinker, a kind and sociable
man who can repair and tighten up and fix just about anything.
Soon he"s part of Carissa"s life, almost like the grandfather she
never had. He teaches her how to ride his bicycle, and how to
find her balance in other ways as well, and Bailey"s time with
Carissa and her mother helps him decide how to continue his
own journey.
A vividly rendered setting, strong, memorable characters, and
a narrative rich in humorous and poignant moments make this
first novel a compelling and distinctive coming-of-age story.« less