Title: The Moon Brothers
Author: Minister Bandit One Glove
Publisher: Toplink Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-948779-99-9
Pages: 285
Genre: Religious Autobiography
Reviewed by: Carl Conrad
Hollywood Book Review
The Moon Brothers, written under the pseudonym of Minister Bandit One Glove, is a deeply immersing autobiography of the experiences a young ten year old boy has with his eight year old foster brother of another race as they are brought together and bond over the issue of bullying. Yet the story, as it unfolds, is such a strong testament to the belief in the strength and ultimate victory in Jesus Christ, that the author continually stresses the guidance and reassurances that he receives along the way from the Lord.
In example after example, Minister Bandit One Glove tells of how he continues to find proof and solace in God’s open arms. It’s not that he is never disappointed by God, but that he sees those times as part of the shaping process – like the rough side of sandpa-per that smooths the torn or uneven surface of something it rubs against. God’s power, strength, and blessings are so real to him that God’s joy is spread like oil over those it touches when he uses his laughter or a smile to brighten someone’s day.
The pathos of this story is that these two young boys were forced apart at such an early age by circumstances which were beyond their control. Because the political and social circumstances of their being together in 1966 was dangerous for the teachers, the par-ents, and the other children in the third grade class of their Houston, Texas elementary school, they were separated, never to be with each other again. They were placed in a witness protection program which spanned fifty years. Then, the death of his foster brother in 2009 finalized their separation.
As Minister Bandit One Glove remembers it, his undercover police officer mother taught him and his foster brother that they must not disclose the details of their experience for fifty years – which would make it the year 2006 – so that no one would be endangered by retribution against those involved. However, in 2009, the foster brother – who was by then perhaps the most famously popular entertainer in the world (Michael Jackson) – died unexpectedly before the boys could reunite. So, Minister Bandit One Glove knew that it would be left to him to disclose the details of the secret that had been hidden so long which he did by writing this book.
Minister Bandit One Glove also remembers having God brought into his life at the age of five, never to leave again, by the Pastor John Osteen who stared straight into his eyes as he spoke. “This is the first time I remember feeling Jesus come into my heart to touch my very soul. I will never forget it, as long as I live,” he said of the experience.
This is an incredible story and a book of historical importance.