Title: Amos the Gifted
Author: Wilbur Shapiro
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1973833208
Genre: Biography
Pages: 170
Reviewed by: Suzanne Gattis
Hollywood Book Reviews
Amos the Gifted, written by Wilbur Shapiro, follows the life of a young boy who had extraordinary talents. We watch his struggles and achievements transpire, always with his mother rooting him on. It is a story about loyalty, courage, and perseverance.
Even at a young age, Amos was obviously gifted, as he began walking and talking before that of his peers. His accomplishments were fantastical; there is no way that a child could have reached those milestones that early. Even is his adult life, there were some feats which seemed unachievable, such as curing cancer. I wonder if there was some literary principle behind making the feats so unbelievable. It certainly made the reader realize early on that this was a person who could do extraordinary things.
Because of certain circumstances, the life which Amos and his mother Soriana didn’t go as they had planned. But through hard work and determination, it was still a success. This was due in large part to the role that Soriana played in her son’s life. She was mother, friend, mentor, and motivator. It was great to read a story of mother and son with so much faith in each other and see their bond grow. It also ended as a story of great loss and new beginnings.
Race is very much a factor in this story. The fact that the family was black played a role throughout the book. There was one overt act of racism in the story which was quickly addressed and disapproved of, which I applauded. I think the author handled a delicate topic well.
While I enjoyed the story, I found some areas to be not as well developed as others. The dialogue was a little awkward at times but could be remedied with more practice. At times events happened unexpectedly and I would have appreciated a little more warning. Overall, I think the text met its goal of telling a great story.