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The Sharecropper's Son
In 1917, there is no escape from the tight grasp of the Mississippi delta, especially for a black young man. As James Hayes grows up tilling the soil with his disabled father and younger brother, all he can think about is how badly he wants out. Lured by stories of the Great Migration north, he dreams of the day when he will be able to leave and make his mark on the world. Finally on one October morning, eighteen-year-old James gets his chance.
When he is drafted and sent to France at the height of the Argonne Offensive by Germany, James becomes embroiled in the thick of battle, eventually standing out from other soldiers by winning the French Croix de Guerre. As the conflict ends in 1918, he ventures to Paris where he is invited to sing at a local bistro. Soon, he becomes a sensation, settles in his adopted country, and marries a local woman. But when he is called home to be near his terminally ill father, fate rises up to meet him and changes everything once again.
In this tale of hope and perseverance, a black World War I draftee from the Mississippi delta journeys from the trenches of the Western Front to 1920s Paris and back home again.
When he is drafted and sent to France at the height of the Argonne Offensive by Germany, James becomes embroiled in the thick of battle, eventually standing out from other soldiers by winning the French Croix de Guerre. As the conflict ends in 1918, he ventures to Paris where he is invited to sing at a local bistro. Soon, he becomes a sensation, settles in his adopted country, and marries a local woman. But when he is called home to be near his terminally ill father, fate rises up to meet him and changes everything once again.
In this tale of hope and perseverance, a black World War I draftee from the Mississippi delta journeys from the trenches of the Western Front to 1920s Paris and back home again.
202 pages, Paperback
Published July 15, 2016
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August 13, 2026
The Sharecropper’s Son is a compelling historical novel about courage, perseverance, identity, and the determination to build a life beyond the circumstances into which one is born.
John V. Amodeo follows James Hayes, a young Black man growing up in the Mississippi Delta in 1917, whose dreams of escaping the limitations of sharecropping lead him into an extraordinary journey. From the difficult realities of life in the South to the battlefields of France during World War I, James’s story captures both the personal cost of war and the possibilities that emerge when an individual is willing to pursue a different future.
The movement from the Mississippi Delta to the Western Front and ultimately to 1920s Paris gives the novel a particularly broad historical canvas. James’s experiences as a soldier, his recognition through the Croix de Guerre, his unexpected success as a singer, and his eventual return home create a narrative shaped by ambition, sacrifice, displacement, and belonging.
What makes the premise especially engaging is the contrast between James’s humble beginnings and the remarkable places his determination carries him. His journey reflects the larger historical currents of the Great Migration, World War I, racial barriers, and the search for opportunity in a changing world.
John V. Amodeo follows James Hayes, a young Black man growing up in the Mississippi Delta in 1917, whose dreams of escaping the limitations of sharecropping lead him into an extraordinary journey. From the difficult realities of life in the South to the battlefields of France during World War I, James’s story captures both the personal cost of war and the possibilities that emerge when an individual is willing to pursue a different future.
The movement from the Mississippi Delta to the Western Front and ultimately to 1920s Paris gives the novel a particularly broad historical canvas. James’s experiences as a soldier, his recognition through the Croix de Guerre, his unexpected success as a singer, and his eventual return home create a narrative shaped by ambition, sacrifice, displacement, and belonging.
What makes the premise especially engaging is the contrast between James’s humble beginnings and the remarkable places his determination carries him. His journey reflects the larger historical currents of the Great Migration, World War I, racial barriers, and the search for opportunity in a changing world.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review