Book ~ "Before I Forget" (2009) Leonard Pitts Jr.

From Amazon ~ In a seamless transition to fiction, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Pitts Jr. delivers an unsettling, compelling first novel about secrets, illness and the role of African-American men in society and family life. His absorbing story centers on unmarried father of one Mo Johnson, a faded 1970s soul star living in Baltimore and diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at the age of 49. Overwhelmed with regrets, and unable to confess his diagnosis, he sets out to make things right with two men long absent in his life: his teenage son, Trey, an unwed father facing armed-robbery charges; and his father, Jack, now ravaged by cancer. Mo and Trey take a cross-country road trip to visit Jack in his final days, each character a simmering cauldron of secrets, grief, and recrimination about to boil over. The novel takes readers to rural 1940s Mississippi, South Central L.A. in the swingin' 1950s, and present-day Las Vegas with immersing dialog and vivid, powerful imagery. Bold in spirit and scope, this is a rare, memorable debut that should net Pitts a wide new expanse of fans.

What an excellent story!

I was drawn to Mo's story ... I'm just a couple years younger than him and I can't imagine finding out I had Alzheimer's and didn't have long to live.

There were lots of characters and you get to know the main ones really well and are cheering for them.

I'd never heard of Pitts Jr. ... I came across this book at the library and am glad I did.

I'd definitely recommend it!