Bob Whetstone's roots are deeply embedded in the cotton mill villages of the South. This former college professor began piecing together fragments of family history that had become shrouded in myths, legends and denials.  He uncovered a "mother lode" of stories, colorful and rich, but conflicting --- depending on the source.  Rather than documenting genealogy, the writer wove the tales into an epic historical novel centered on the mysterious death of a tyrannical patriarch.  Set against the backdrop of the pre-Depression years, GRAVE DANCIN' traces the life of a young man whose quest for freedom is thwarted by overwhelming responsibility for his younger siblings.

As a part-time church choir director, in Birmingham during the tempestuous civil rights struggles of the 1950-1960’s decades, Bob Whetstone was moved to write CRYSTAL ANGEL, a fictional account of racial controversies surrounding the church. This novel has been lauded by clergy and laity alike as an authentic view of an embarrassing era of church history.

A visit to the Andersonville (GA) National Monument and Cemetery prompted Bob to write GOOBER JOE, a young adult novel about a mixed-race slave’s risky relationship with an escaped Union prisoner toward the end of the Civil War. Both Joe and the French/Ojibwe prisoner learn a good deal from each other about their respective cultures.

COTTON MARY, RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION IN 2011, IS THE CONTINUING STORY OF MARY CHRISTINE TARLEY’S STRUGGLE TO ESCAPE THE ISOLATION AND ENTRAPMENT OF A COTTON MILL VILLAGE.

To order any of these novels go to www.lulu.com or www.amazon.com and type “bob whetstone” in the search space. For free shipping go to www.shelbycountyartscouncil.com or email bobwhetstone@bellsouth.net .