Baby Moses

Baby Moses is an emotional story about a man named Moses who was found in a basket in the river much like the Biblical Moses we all know. He is raised by two wonderful people, Ms. Clio and her husband Virgil. As Moses comes back from Chicago to stay with Ms. Clio, he finds out that two white boys have been going around robbing churches and their attendees and hurting young girls. This angers Moses since one of the items that is stolen is Miss Clio’s ring. This ring is a very special ring with history and sentimental value. Moses makes it his mission to get this ring back. In doing so, he uncovers clues as to who the two white boys are. What entails is murder, revenge, and a very big plot twist in the end.

Author John Cowlin does a fantastic job of portraying each character as he or she is. With realistic dialogue, Baby Moses is full of action and adventure as Moses maintains a no-holds-barred attitude during his mission. This book was a pageturner and had me wondering what would happen next throughout the whole story. The relationships Moses held with his loved ones, not just Ms. Clio, but also his friend Maggie are cherished and special. There are some very corrupt characters in this book as well which I think maintains the realistic attributes of this story. Baby Moses is a book that evokes emotions. The church scenes are beautiful and you can hear the members singing “Amazing Grace” as they are all praying for the little girl to be returned safely. The anger of the white men towards black men was simply appalling, especially the part where the white men thought it didn’t count as cheating on their wives if they raped a black woman. I can’t imagine what it was like to be a black man or woman living during these times.

I found myself cheering for Moses even when he used violence to get his way. And although there were a few bloody scenes in the book, it was written very tastefully and described as it needed to be to convey the message,

Baby Moses is an exquisite piece of writing that should be read by high schoolers and older. There are some sensitive subjects that are touched upon in this book as well as some lessons to be learned and understood. Baby Moses is a beautifully written and executed book.