Our Man in the Dark

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR OUR MAN IN THE DARK

“
Our Man in the Dark
is an eye-opening insight into
the troubling times this nation experienced as it struggled to
reset its moral compass. It offers a glimpse into a world where
two races lived together—separately. This is
a well-written journey back in time.”

—NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

“
Our Man in the Dark
is smart, snappy, and fascinating. As the child of civil rights activists, I applaud Rashad Harrison's wonderfully written debut and his examination of how an ordinary man ended up on the wrong side of history.”

—TANANARIVE DUE,

author of
My Soul to Take
and
Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights

A stunning debut historical noir
novel about a worker in the
civil rights movement who became
an informant for the FBI during
the months leading up to the
assassination of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

F
eeling underappreciated and overlooked, John Estem, a bookkeeper for Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), steals ten thousand dollars from the organization. Originally planning to use the money to seed a new civil rights initiative in Chicago, he squanders the stolen funds.

To the bookkeeper's dismay, the FBI has been keeping close tabs on Dr. King and his fellow activists—including Estem—for years. FBI agents tell Estem that it is his duty, as an American and as a civil rights supporter, to protect the SCLC from communist infiltration. The FBI offers Estem a stipend, but in case he has any thoughts about refusing the assignment, they also warn him that they know about the stolen money.

Playing informant empowers Estem, but he soon learns that his job is not simply to relay information on the organization. Once the FBI discovers evidence of King's sexual infidelities, they set out to confirm the facts to undermine King's credibility as a moral leader and bring down the movement.

This timely novel comes in light of recent revelations that government informants had infiltrated numerous black movement organizations. With historical facts at the core of
Our Man in the Dark
, Harrison uses real life as a great inspiration for his drama-filled art.

RASHAD HARRISON
has been a contributor to MedicineAgency.com, an online journal of political and cultural commentary, and his writing has appeared in
Reed Magazine
. As a Jacob K. Javits fellow, he earned a master of fine arts in creative writing from New York University. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

SimonandSchuster.com

• THE SOURCE FOR READING GROUPS •

Facebook.com/AtriaBooks
   
Twitter.com/AtriaBooks

JACKET DESIGN BY JANET PERR

JACKET PHOTOGRAPH BY REZA ESTAKHRIAN/GETTY IMAGES

AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY MAIA ROSENFELD

COPYRIGHT © 2011 SIMON & SCHUSTER

Thank you for purchasing this Atria Books eBook.

Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to bonus content, and info on the latest new releases and other great eBooks from Atria Books and Simon & Schuster.

or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com