St. Louis County Library-Natural Bridge Branch
7606 Natural Bridge Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63121
The St. Louis County Library Foundation, HEC Media, and Left Bank Books present award-winning fiction writer De’Shawn Charles Winslow, author of “Decent People."
2023 Black History Celebration Event. Presented in partnership with December Magazine.
In Conversation with Ron A. Austin - Fiction Writer and Saint Louis University Professor.
From Center for Fiction First Novel Prize-winning author De’Shawn Charles Winslow, “Decent People” is a sweeping and unforgettable novel of a Black community reeling from a triple homicide, and the secrets the killings reveal. In the still-segregated town of West Mills, North Carolina, in 1976, three enigmatic siblings—are found shot to death in their home. The people of West Mills— on both sides of the canal that serves as the town’s color line—are in a frenzy of finger-pointing, gossip, and wonder. The crime is the first reported murder in the area in decades, but the authorities don’t seem to have any interest in solving the case. Fortunately, one person is determined to do more than talk.
Books available from Left Bank Books. Curbside pick-up, in-store pick-up, and shipping available.
Decent People captures what a horrific crime can do to a small rural community. The characters in this book are people you want to cheer for in so many ways and you know that someone is responsible for a triple murder. Someone is holding a dark secret. How many secrets can someone hold before they break? I loved this book and could not put it down. Such a compulsive page turner of a book. Bravo De'Shawn! -SHANE