Praise for
Standing at the Scratch Line "
Standing at the Scratch Line is a big, good-hearted book, carried along all but effortlessly by the power of the images it has tapped into and by Guy Johnson's remarkably adroit writing." –
The Washington Post "[King] Tremain has the qualifications to be one of literature's most versatile heroes: a sharp-shooting soldier (WWI), jazz-club impresario, gangster, bootlegger, smuggler, general-store owner, vigilante, lover and, finally, doting father and grandfather." –
The Wall Street Journal "An exuberant novel about dreaming big dreams and honoring black heroes . . . Johnson creates a credible, powerful leader with a reputation built on dead bodies–both black and white–bruised egos, and
lessons about prejudice and power. . . . A page turner full of pride, energy and passionate people." –
Black Issues Book Review "Fast-paced, intelligent . . . [This] novel presents a brief history of twentieth-century black America in the guise of a testosterone-fueled adventure yarn." –
Library Journal