Praise Jerusalem!

By Augusta Trobaugh
Baker Book House, $12.99

ISBN 0801011477


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Comedy, pathos mark debut

Review by Kay Cornelius

Praise Jerusalem! is the first novel by this native Southern author, but from beginning to end, it is a fully mature and beautifully written work that explores and celebrates the "Great Mystery" of the human heart. With comedy, pathos, and mysticism, Ms. Trobaugh depicts a full range of human emotions. The title echoes the words of a spiritual that the narrator, now an old woman, remembers hearing sung as a child:

Coming home to Jerusalem, my Lord, my Lord,/Coming right up on the front steps to my Lord!/He will wipe away my tears,/He will smile away my fears,/Praise Jerusalem!

Miss Amelia is accompanied on a journey from Savannah to Jerusalem, Georgia, by Maybelline. "With a big wad of chewing gum in her mouth and carrying all those hatboxes and wearing that awful Shirley Temple wig," Maybelline has moved in with Miss Amelia, announcing that the Lord had told her to do so. Her manners might be uncouth, but Maybelline has dedicated her life to serving Jesus by helping others -- whether they appreciate it or not.

In search of a better life, the two start out for Maybelline's grandfather's old house in Jerusalem. When their car breaks down, a black woman takes them in, then announces she is going with them.

As circumstances force these three women to reconcile their different cultures and beliefs, Miss Amelia realizes the true nature of love expressed by her long-ago beloved black nurse: "Don't you try to throw it [love] away, 'cause it just don't throw!"

Praise Jerusalem! is a truly extraordinary reading experience.

Kay Cornelius is an author and reviewer in Huntsville, AL.

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