I am pleased to announce my new book
Jake and the Hobo: My Summer of Love
In an epic 8-year journey culminating in this novel, 16-year-old Jake escapes West Virginia’s poverty, aided by veteran Erasmus and his dog. Together, they confront past demons, finding courage and healing across America.
About the book
This has been an eight year journey from concept to this final publication.
The novel, a unique coming-of-age story, follows the journey of a 16-year-old girl, Jake Meadows. Fleeing her impoverished coal mining town in West Virginia, she meets Erasmus P. Hobbs, a gentle and wise veteran, and his dog Socrates. Erasmus, a Good Samaritan, hobo philosopher, jack of all trades, recovering alcoholic, and Vietnam veteran with Agent Orange disease, travels the USA with his black and white cocker spaniel Socrates. Their chariot is a yellow Airstream RV called Emma Goldman, with a picture of the famous revolutionary dancing on the side and her quote, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” The book is a poignant exploration of forgiveness, transformation, and the celebration of courage as Jake and Erasmus embark on self-discovery and healing.
Adventures, tenderness, and surprises abound in this fast-paced novel. Their odyssey takes them through Cleveland and down to a Buddhist retreat called Dignity Village. They meet the Zen master, Roshi Konji, a Vietnam veteran, a Green Beret captain, a recovering alcoholic, and the leader of Dignity Village. Jake meets Sojourner, an herbalist and healer, who becomes her godmother. As they travel down to New Orleans to a homeless shelter, they encounter hobos, wanderers, refugees, and the heroes and angels who help people of all kinds.
From the novel Jake and the Hobo: My Summer of Love
“For three months, we wandered across America…helped at homeless shelters, met fellow hobos, saints, and revolutionaries, cleaned up parks, planted gardens, and met the woman who became my Fairy Godmother, the herbalist and healer Sojourner. I learned how to cook, read, write, and tune up Erasmus’s Airstream palace called Emma Goldman. In that summer of love, I learned so many things every day. I will tell you more about my extraordinary summer, but before I get too far ahead of myself…most importantly, I learned something I never thought possible. The hardest lesson was to love myself unconditionally. It has been twenty years since I last saw the man who changed my life and probably everybody else who met him. My name is Jake, and this is the story of my summer of love with the extraordinary Erasmus P. Hobbs—my beautiful hobo saint who came dancing into my life on a cloud of possibilities.”
While written with a young adult audience in mind, the novel also resonates with adult readers. It celebrates the diversity that can be found in the people and regions of the United States without shying away from exploring the darkness that is both a part of the country’s history and still lingers today. An exploration of what it means to come of age in a world filled with both unimaginable love and incredible hardship, the novel tracks the self-development of a young girl and the experiences that shape her. The plot is an innovative take on classic American road trip novels with a contemporary perspective.
Embark on this extraordinary journey with Jake and the Hobo: My Summer of Love. Join them as they traverse the diverse landscapes of the United States, meet a cast of unique characters, and discover the transformative power of love and forgiveness.
About the Author
Namaya is an internationally reknowned Jazz poet, storyteller, humorist and sublime improvisational artist. He has performed throughout the US and has toured in Europe, New Zealand, Japan, Asia, the Americas and Palmyra Syria.
Both as a solo artist, with his band the Jazz Beat Blues Poetry Ensemble, and with jazz musicians around the world, Namaya performs an astonishing blend of jazz word, story and improvisation.
Namaya is an irreverent performance artist with a trademark style of political satire and humor that addresses themes as diverse as America Uber Alles, the jazz noir detective story of Benny O’Shea, the poignant story of how to make a child to suicide bomber. The free rifting jazz improvisation bills Namaya as the high wire performance artist of the spoken word.
“Namaya held the audience in his hand as he fearlessly created a show of improvisation. It was like watching a magician on stage, but this time with words that would appear and disappear, and seamlessly bringing in the audience.” ~Magnet Theater in NYC.