Between You, Me and the Gatepost

About the Book

“Between You, Me and the Gatepost” is a coming of age story. It chronicles the early life of Eugene Cannon. He is a boy growing up among the remnants of Jim Crow in the late 1950’s and the dawning of the sexual revolution in the 1960’s. He is catapulted between contrasting worlds of the ambivalent South and the socially ambitious North. Eugene struggles to establish his own beliefs between these extremes. The violent loss of his mother stimulates the swaying of the pendulum in his precarious existence. His confl icts are emotional and psychological. Uncouth role models infl uence unhealthy resolutions which fail to satisfy his young mind; a mind where decisions are dictated by passion rather than reason. Eugene matriculates through high school preparing for college as a teenage father. His survival is uncertain and his potential for genuine affection is damaged. If he retreats into one of his myriad facades he could disappear for ever. No one has been privy to his authentic mind. When the truth is revealed it will be among his most intimate companions.

About the Author

Clarence Alston has been a public school administrator for over 15 years in New Jersey where he lives with his wife, Sylvia and youngest son, David. His many years of experience include being a principal of an elementary school, middle school and high school. He has also been an Assistant Superintendent and school district Superintendent. He has a M.A.T. from The University of South Carolina and an Ed. D. from South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.