Beyond the Lies - Brabson III Vanderbilt

Surpassing the expectations his father had for him, Anthony Morgan is poised to be the biggest phenomenon baseball has seen in years. Anthony’s future is set. He has worked hard for it, dreamed about it all his life, and can practically taste it! However, what Anthony could not foresee was the untimely death of his father—his mentor and hero. This tragedy started a downward spiral of bad decisions, which ultimately threaten Anthony’s life and future in baseball.     

Seeking to overcome the scars from her abusive, alcoholic father, Jesse Cartwright, Anthony’s best friend from childhood, is determined to make something of her life. Tomboyish in every way, at times her stubbornness puts her in direct conflict with Anthony’s other friends. A born fighter, she ultimately proves to be tougher than every boy in the neighborhood and the only friend Anthony can really count on. As Anthony battles his inner demons in his march toward glory, and Jesse struggles through her own personal tragedies and loss, their paths grow apart. Eventually the two discover their lives are somehow intertwined and neither will truly realize his or her dreams without the other.               

Beyond the Lies is as captivating as The Natural, as compelling as Love Comes Softly, and at times as humorous as Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It’s a coming of age story that will appeal to the young and old, the sports enthusiast, the romantic, those gripped by human tragedy, and those who celebrate the triumph of the human spirit. 

"A coming of age story by an author with a genuine flair for originality and a distinctive narrative storytelling style, Beyond the Lies by Vanderbilt Brabson is a thoroughly reader engaging novel that is especially recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Beyond the Lies is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99)." —Paul T. Vogel, Midwest Book Reviews