Camden, New Jersey, is quite possibly the most troubled and dangerous city in America. But a far different story lies beneath this cold surface. It is a story of hope, of voices struggling desperately against deaf ears. In the summer of 1999, a college student named Stuart Albright arrived in Camden full of youthful idealism and a naïve sense of justice. Blessed Returns is the moving, deeply personal account of a young man’s coming-of-age amidst a tumultuous and life-changing summer. Albright worked at a youth facility in the heart of Camden’s blighted, industrial core, and he discovered a community governed by faith and resilience in the face of unimaginable despair. It is a place filled with passionate and unforgettable characters. Moving seamlessly between a heartbreaking tale of loss and a forceful call for social change, this book is a message that cries out to be heard. It is a story laid bare with all the honesty and confession of a meaningful prayer.
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By Robert Albright
Oct 14, 2009
"Blessed Returns is a Winning Debut" Stuart Albright's first novel is a gripping memoir that examines inner city youth while tracing the author's personal growth. This book will strike a cord with anyone who has a passion for education, urban development, poverty, religion or family.
"The Heart of a Young Man, The Heart of a Neighborhood" Albright's journal entries and prayers serve as meeting grounds for the journey of a young man through excitement and heartache with the story of a neighborhood center that refused to doubt the power of love.
"Hard, Compelling story" Compelling memoirs of the struggle to survive, the despair of the poor and the hope of a young man trying to make a difference. AMazing and sad and reminds me to pray for poor.
