This book was introduced to me by Jackie Karnath with Books Forward. I have been lucky to receive several books in the past from Jackie, and this one might be my favorite. A beautifiul, touching, emotional story of what it means to be different. Here is my book review Boy with Wings by Mark Mustian.

Publish Date March 15, 2025

I held this review until publish week for this remarkable novel by Mark Mustian. Boy with Wings publishes March 15th. Mustian is known for his international best seller The Gendarme. After reading Boy with Wings I will definitely now read Mustian’s other work.

Freak

This is a story about an unlikely hero. Just a boy. A boy born with an abnormality to a single mother in the south in the early part of the 20th century. When anyone who was not white or “normal” was dehumanized, hunted, condemned and chastized. Johnny Cruel lives this life.

From birth Johnny is called a devil child, due to an unusual growth on his back that looks like wings. His mother tries to protect him best she can, even going so far as to fake his death before running away with him. But she dies and leaves little Johnny alone and frieghtened.

Mama Lo will try to help him and love him, but as a black women in the south she has little influence. Eventually Johnny will be sold to a freak show, where he will live for many years, amongst the other freaks and oddities. He will grow to manhood, find love, and lose it all.

Hiding

Johnny spends his life hiding his “wings”, trying to hold down a job, and always running from a strange one-armed man who won’t let him be. Is this man the father Johnny has never met?

Despite his own problems Johnny attempts to save a young black man who is about to be lynched. This will set in motion a series of incidents that will, eventually bring Johnny face to face with his real father…a powerful man who wants Johnny dead.

Captivating

I was glued to this book and could not put it down. I loved all the characters, especially Johnny. Mustian has a delicious writing style and I embraced every beautiful word. So many characters pass through Johnny’s life, each well developed and believable.

Book Review Boy With Wings by Mark Mustian

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Masterful storytelling with true emotion and fraility. A tale of human nature and the desire to be accepted and loved, and the hard truths of how difficult that can be.

*****Five stars for Boy with Wings by Mark Mustian. Definitely get your hands on this book.

Thank you for reading my book review Boy with Wings by Mark Mustian. See last week’s book review The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.

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