Sabbath Creek: A Novel

by Judson Mitcham

In his second novel, Judson Mitcham, with plain but elegant language, creates an emotional impact rivaled only by his critically acclaimed debut novel, The Sweet Everlasting (Georgia). Sabbath Creek is the story of Lewis Pope, a fourteen-year-old boy thrust into an adult world of heartache and brokenness. When his beautiful but distant mother takes him on an aimless journey through south Georgia, the cerebral and sensitive Lewis is forced to confront latent fears―scars left from the emotional abuse of an alcoholic father and the lack of comfort from a preoccupied mother―that crowd his interior world. At the heart of the journey, and the novel itself, is Truman Stroud, the quick-witted, cantankerous owner of the crumbling Sabbath Creek Motor Court, where Lewis and his mother are stranded by car trouble. His budding friendship with the ninety-three-year-old black man is his only reprieve from the mysteries that haunt him. Despite his prickly personality and the considerable burden of his own personal tragedies, Stroud becomes the boy’s best hope for a father figure as he teaches Lewis the secrets of baseball and the secrets of life. Sabbath Creek is more than a coming-of-age novel. And while Mitcham provides a nuanced look at the relationship between a white adolescent boy and a black old-timer, his second novel transcends the tired theme of race relations in the South. This compassionate, smart, powerful work of fiction touches the pulse of the human spirit. It travels from the ruined landscape of south Georgia and takes us all the way through the ruined landscape of a broken heart.

Genres: Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Saige Holcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think "Sabbath Creek" was very inspiring. I like the part at the end when Lewis’s mother holds him when he came back that was a touching moment. I think the saddest part of the book was when Lewis’s father died in an accident. I think Lewis and his mother made a mistake running from him in the story.

"Sabbath Creek" is about a mother and a son who try to get away from an alcoholic father. Lewis the 14 year old son has a little adventure. He met a girl named Eva and a 93 year old man that lives in the motel. The book has a tragic ending when his father died in an accident looking for them.

I recommend "Sabbath Creek" for adults. I recommend it for them because it is mostly about a mother and a child. I also recommend this book for teenagers because there is a little romance.

[Laura Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm assuming this is a young adult novel due to its length, depth of character development, and overall storyline and themes. I'd like to say that it gives the book a bit of a handicap, but there are many other chapter books I'd put before this one for a young teen audience. That said, this is a quick read and may resonate for young readers grappling with family drama or a divorce (though unintentionally killing your dad is not a typical happy ending).

For me, it felt like the story climaxed about 90% into the text, and didn't give itself enough room to wind down. The lead-in to the Part 3 was long and didn't seem to have much of a point to me, but I may not have been looking closely enough for themes. The recurring theme of Lewis pitching a ball at a wall (representing a non-existent father) never resolved at the end. Well, maybe it did with the car accident. Stroud's niece and the disabled Vietnam vet were also sidelined characters that got displaced in the whirlwind of the final chapters.

All in all, it's a quick read and I would go for it if you're interested in racial politics of the deep south and coming-of-age stories.

[baron davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabbath creek is an exellent book. It is told in a strong caring tone.It is about a 14 year old boy Lewis Pope and his mother. Thier car broke down on a journey thru georgia to hide from her husband.The auto center took their car in and ripped them off by taking forever to fix it. Lewis and his mother stay in a motel owned by stroud. Lewis, his mom, and stroud became very close until lewis overheard her saying he was a mistake. he then runs away and comes back later, after eva encouraging him to.


I really in enjoyed the book since i like and play baseball, i also liked how the autor used literary devices such as foreshadowing and symbolism. The message in my opinion is to "stay strong, keep trying, and dont give up!" I actually thought the book was going to be boring until i got about half way thru and it starting getting engaging.

[JoBeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book by Georgia author Judson Mitcham. An engrossing read, mother and 13 year old son running the back roads of Georgia to evade an abusive husband, told from the son't point of view. Mitcham seemed to capture the confusion, curiosity, torn loyalties, and fears of the narrator with accuracy and compassion.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels like a YA book given the lack of detail. I feel like everything needed to be fleshed out a lot more because, while I kind of liked the story, it felt sorta rushed.

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not even sure what the point of this story was. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. A lot of it just rambled on without really saying anything.

[Jeff Garrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

From my blog:

Judson Mitcham, Sabbath Creek (Orlando: Harcourt, 2004), 169 pages

“My mother asked if he had lived in Sabbath Creek all his life. ‘Not yet.’†Stroud’s answers were often allusive. Over the days Lewis and his mother Charlene were stranded in the town, they came to know the old black man who ran the ran-down motel. It was a memorable week at the end of a trip through Georgia as Lewis’ mother fled an abusive marriage. Over a few days, Lewis experiences disappointments and tragedies while learning about baseball, other people’s tragedies, love and grace. Stroud, who is 93, tells him about playing baseball with Satchel Paige and becomes a stable father figure to a boy whose father has been at best a paradox.

“I already knew what a paradox was, long before Miss Young tried to explain it to me: a father who loved you and whose love you needed so much it was like deep thirst; a father who made you sick with his drinking, made you hate him, but who tossed the ball back and forth with you for hour s in the backyard, each lob or hard throw like a sentence passed between you, almost as good as words.†(page 131)


In the final part of the book, Lewis runs away. He’d overheard his mother confide to Stroud that she never wanted a child and wanted to do away with her pregnancy. The old man chastised her, saying the boy was a precious gift. But the sting of his mother’s comments hurt Lewis and the boy takes off. During his three day trip, he experiences grace from a disabled Vietnam veteran who can’t do much for him except fix peanut butter sandwiches. He gets into a fight and is rescued by Eva, a girl a year older who he’s come to know. With her son missing, Charlene calls her husband, Lewis’ father, who immediately sets out to help search for the boy. Driving way too fast, he’s killed in an auto accident. Stroud was the only one honest enough to tell the boy that it was partly his fault, but the old man insisted that he couldn’t let his father’s death drag him down as he shared his tragedies with the boy. Thinking of all the tragedies, Lewis asks Stroud why God lets such things happen. “Be still,†Stroud says. Obviously Mitcham wants his readers to recall the words Lewis had read several days earlier from the Gideon Bible he’d found in the hotel room, “Be still and know that I am God.†(p. 90, from Psalm 46) It’s may not seem to be the answer he’s seeking, but it might be the only answer available.

I enjoyed this book and read it in two sittings. With words, Mitcham paints pictures of life through the eyes of a boy about to turn 14. Interestingly, there seems to be less tension between the races that I’d expect, but throughout the story, Lewis learns about a parallel world that had once existed and was enforced with Jim Crow laws and segregation. There are other interesting twists in the book. I was almost expecting the mother to kill the father (she’d purchased a pistol and had been practicing shooting it), and was in a weird sense relieved when he died in another fashion. The emotions shown by both parents are honest. We all have a tendency to care deeply and hurt those we love at the same time, and it is through the kindness experienced during tragedies that we get a taste of grace.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a fourteen year old boy who is thrown ito the real world. His name is Lewis Pope. He and his mother have car trouble and take it to a garage. They have to stay the night. So they go down the road to an old run down motel. The owner's name is Stroud. During the book he is a fatherly figure to Lewis. He teaches him all the secrets of Base ball. They play catch alot. The first time they play Stroud makes him warm up first. So he goes for a run. On his way he runs into a girl. They start going out. She has problems with her mother and her boyfriend. Later on Lewis meets Stroud's neice. He doesn't seem to like her to much. After a while of not having their car, Lewis goes down to the garage and their car is up on blocks with no tires. The man gives him some badly made up story as to why. When they finally get their car back they head out down the road. They take back roads all through south Georgia. One time they come up on a wreck and they both stare at it even though his mother says it isn't polite.

This book's plot was about a young man going through tough times in his life. It didn't have that much action in it. It was still a good book. It was a laid back book. This book is recemended for every one. In this book is a lot of foreshadowing. It also has a lot of man vs. self.

[83star · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Sabbath Creek by the cover you may think it is a boring book but it is pretty good. So the story is about a young boy named Lewis Pope. He and his mother go on a long car drive because they are trying to get away from his father. They stop a different places. They get to meet new people and see new things. So one day they stop in this small town which is Sabbath Creek. They had to stop ther well because their car broke down.
They stay at this small motal. There they meet Truman Stroud. Througth out the story Lewis and Stroud become great frinds. Stroud tells him many storys of way back then. He meets this girl named Eva she and Lewis alsobecome great friends. I can not tell you the rest of the story but it is full of excitment and a hole buch of good stuff.

[Flakita94 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabbath Creek is a very good book. At first it seemed like it was going to be a boring book. It turned out to be very interesting. It's told by a thirteen year old named Lewis. He and his mother have been traveling all around Georgia. At the begging of the book your clueless. You don't know much about what's going on. All you know is that they are having problems and are running away from them.
This book is such a good book and has a very strong meaning. At the end you have the emotions you would as if you were there. It bring s out feeling in you. Once it's over you wish it wasn't. You want it to go on and on. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[NESSA KkRAZiiE CHiiKk*]

This book is called Sabbeth Creek.This book is about a young boy nameed lewis.He and his mother move around in south georgia becuase they are trying to get away from their father and her husband even though they deny it. His mother has took him around almost all southern georgia. His father is an alchohlic adn thats why they are running away and he is trying to find them. Their car stops working so they have to give it to a repair man so he can fix it,. The repair is going to take some time to fix the car so they have to stay at a near by motel.

[Toughlove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sabbath Creek, was a good book.It was told in a first person point of view, and by Lewis.I did not expect to like the book, because to me the cover loooked not that interinsting. I would recommend this book, to other people.

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this small story of a kid and a mother on a journey through south Gergia, meeting a ninety-three year old black owner of Sabbath Creek Motor court where they are stranded... great litttle story, great writing! I can see Morgan Freeman in this one's movie version...

[Im Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is another one of my foverite books. i like this book so much, i read it twice. i got this book from the library in the free books section and i thought it would be a dumb book but dont judge a book by its cover.

[Her Royal Orangeness · Rating 2 out of 5]

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