To Walk Humbly

Meet Steve. . .

An Eisenhower-era teen-ager about to start at a racially changing high school on Chicago’s South Side … White, Jewish, anxious, a bit nerdy … had an all-night adventure with a Black boy five years earlier … but knows they can’t be friends again …

Meet Sass . . .

Son of the minister of a Black storefront church … family about to break free of Bronzeville, their downtrodden Black neighborhood — and move to prosperous White Hyde Park where Steve lives … go to Hyde Park High too … and try reviving a friendship their world disapproves …

Meet Frederick Farwell . . .

High school buddy of both Steve and Sass … his momma moved them out of Bronzeville hoping for a better life … but Frederick misses the old neighborhood …

Meet Ezell Thomas . . .

Frederick’s cousin “Bobo” … big for his age … burdened with a stutter he tries to cover up with boasts and fibs … he’ll journey down to Mississippi to spend summer with
cousins … it will be the last summer of his young life …

Meet Chicago in the ’50s . . .

A city still getting past the War to End All Wars … old ways bowing to new, Sinatra pushed aside by doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll, but old prejudices lingering … a city unready for one of its sons to come home in an open coffin, his mangled remains on display for the world to see …

Rave Reviews

“Joseph, who covered the 1966 Chicago riots for the Associated Press, weaves a colorful, gritty tapestry of the city, from the gorgeous Loop skyscrapers, to the dejected North Lawndale slum, to the grungy madhouse of the AP newsroom … He conveys the city’s seething racial tensions in muscular, evocative prose and pitch-perfect dialogue. … [A]n unforgettable portrait of a city burning with hatred and hope. A gripping, richly textured saga of the civil rights era.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“Joseph brings journalistic chops and novelistic insight to this ambitious novel about Chicago’s racial fault lines in the 1950s. Through the tangled fates of two teenagers—one Jewish, one Black—To Walk Humbly explores how systemic injustice plays out in individual lives and how good intentions crack under pressure from fear and self-interest.”

– IndieReader 5 Star Review

“Steve and Sass’s relationship pulled me in from the start, capturing just how tricky it was to navigate a friendship like theirs in such a divided time.”

– K.C. Finn, Readers’ Review®

“The author is skilled at bringing history together with racial tensions and punctuating those with the music of the times … [W]ell worth reading, and I would recommend it to anyone over the age of sixteen.”

– Wanda Adams Fischer, Reedsy Reviews

“Filled with thought-provoking encounters, uncertain relationships, and choices that shift the boundaries of prejudice, isolation, and hope, To Walk Humbly’s vivid exploration is highly recommended for readers seeking realistic stories of the ultimate impact of prejudice and hate.”

– Diane Donovan for Midwest Book Review

“[T] he author’s use of multiple perspectives … gives readers a deep insight into each of the protagonists’ and antagonists’ perspectives.”

– Grant Leishman, Readers’ Favorite® 5 Star Review

“For many years I was lucky enough to partner with some great authors. No one was greater than Frank Joseph. He was the first author at the Tuscan Market book club. Here is his latest, it is fantastic and if you need a good book here you go. Can read as a one off. Book Clubbers – you will love its Chicago setting.”

– Deb Smart, ex-BN bookseller

“Joseph’s unique storytelling style and attention to detail create a thought-provoking narrative that historical fiction purists will enjoy.”

– Essien Asian, Readers’ Favorite® 5 Star Review

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