praise for the author
Gary Minder is a fine storyteller and a sensitive student of the human condition. This is as powerful a debut novel as you are likely to read, written with a deep sense of character and place. Bravo!”
—Frye Gaillard, author of Go South to Freedom and co-author of The Southernization of America: A Story of Democracy in the Balance
Take me somewhere I’ve never been: 1930s Alabama, authentic and vibrant. Let me step inside the skin of a young transplant struggling to find his place in a culture at once treacherous and inviting, populated with colorful characters who ride the rails, swing hammers, wrestle pigs, defy the odds, and move through this sharply imagined world like believable humans. Mission accomplished.”
—Lila Quintero Weaver, author of My Year in the Middle and Dark Room: A Memoir in Black and White
Gary Minder has created an excellent overview of life in 1930s South. He has a gift for creating believable characters and on-point dialogue. I was left wanting much more, and the ending intimates a sequel might soon be in hand.”
—TK Cassidy, author of Whoodah Thunket and the Girls
First-time author Gary Minder has created a tender coming-of-age story set against a well-researched backdrop of deep-south segregation. He writes with vivid clarity and sensitivity, confirming that even in the darkest eras of human existence, there are those whose lives serve as beacons of conscience.”
—Carolyn Breckinridge, author of Kaleidoscope Jane & Other Stories, Tuscaloosa Moon, and Tuscaloosa Boneyard
The Education of Asa Paxton is a beautifully written, deeply human story set against the backdrop of Jim Crow-era Alabama. Asa, raised in the North with values of kindness, fairness, and open-mindedness, finds himself navigating a world of racism and injustice after moving to the Deep South. Through his eyes—and those of the people around him—we experience the beauty, contradictions, and heartbreak of a time that still echoes today."
--Dory Hayman, Voice Talent, Salisbury, Maryland, Amazon review
I picked up this book and sat down to read a while. I did not get back up until the book was finished. It is so good. Heartfelt, intriguing, endlessly interesting...I wish I could express more eloquently how touched I was. The characters, the descriptions of the scenes, the beautiful underlying theme..it describes so clearly my southern home, with all its complications, ugliness, and hope. I cried, for real. Love this book.”
—Chris Davenport, Encino, California, Goodreads review
The Education of Asa Paxton left a lasting impression with its raw portrayal of adolescence against the backdrop of 1930s rural Alabama. Minder’s debut novel masterfully blends humor, heartache, and historical weight, creating a narrative that feels both intimately personal and universally resonant.”
—Sarah Jensen, Goodreads review
I grew up in Alabama during the Depression and all the segregation. This book depicts all the issues families went through and it felt like going home. So well written and a great page turner. I wanted the book to continue with Asa and his family.”
—Edna H. Isdell, Augusta, Georgia, Instagram review