{"product_id":"saga-boy-my-life-of-blackness-and-becoming-paperback","title":"Saga Boy: My Life of Blackness and Becoming - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAntonio Michael Downing\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlending mythology and memory, \u003ci\u003eSaga Boy \u003c\/i\u003efollows a young Black immigrant's vibrant personal metamorphosis.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGrowing up as a clever, willful boy in a tiny village in the tropical forests of Trinidad--raised by his indomitable grandmother, Miss Excelly, and her King James Bible--Antonio Michael Downing is steeped in the legacies of his scattered family, the vibrant culture of the island, and the weight of its colonial history. But following Miss Excelly's death, everything changes. The eleven-year-old Downing seems to fall asleep in the jungle and to wake up in a blizzard: he is sent to live with his devoutly evangelical Aunt Joan in rural Canada, where they are the only Black family in a landscape starkly devoid of the warm lushness of his childhood. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIsolated and longing for home, Downing begins a decades-long journey to transform himself through music and performance. A reunion with his birth parents, whom he has known only through story, closes more doors than it opens. Instead, Downing seeks refuge in increasingly extravagant musical personalities: \"Mic Dainjah,\" a boisterous punk rapper; \"Molasses,\" a soul crooner; and, finally, an eccentric dystopian-era pop star clad in leather and gold, \"John Orpheus.\" In his mid-thirties, increasingly addicted to escapism, attention, and sex, Downing realizes he has become a \"Saga Boy\"--a Trinidadian playboy archetype--like his father and grandfather before him. When his choices land him in a jail cell, Downing must face who he has become. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHarnessing the lyricism of an evangelical childhood into a flourishing and unforgettable prose all its own, \u003ci\u003eSaga Boy\u003c\/i\u003e is a poignant journey of overcoming, belonging, and becoming one's own self.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAntonio Michael Downing\u003c\/b\u003e is an author, speaker, and musical artist. His memoir \u003ci\u003eSaga Boy\u003c\/i\u003e was called \"singularly dazzling\" by Kiese Laymon and \"the triumph of Blackness everywhere\" by Scotiabank Giller Prize-winner Ian Williams. He has been shortlisted for several awards including the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writer Award, the 2021 Toronto Book Award, and the 2021 Speaker's Book Award. He is also the author of the children's picture book \u003ci\u003eStars in My Crown\u003c\/i\u003e and his debut novel, \u003ci\u003eBlack Cherokee\u003c\/i\u003e. He writes and performs music as John Orpheus. Raised in Trinidad, Toronto, and Brooklyn, Antonio Michael Downing now lives in Kitchener, Ontario.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 344\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 05, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43141172101255,"sku":"9781571311993","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/Gw5dNx04ef9781571311993.webp?v=1756860614","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/saga-boy-my-life-of-blackness-and-becoming-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}