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0000017c-60f7-de77-ad7e-f3f739cf0000Arts & More airs Fridays at 7:50 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.Theme music: "Like A Beginner Again" by Dan Barry of Seas of Jupiter

'Hold It 'Till It Hurts' by T. Geronimo Johnson

T. Geronimo Johnson
Elizabeth Cowan

What do combat trauma, male coming-of-age, family, racial identity and out-of-race adoption have in common? They’re the central themes of Hold It ‘til It Hurts, the debut novel by T-Geronimo Johnson.

A visiting instructor of creative writing at Western Michigan University, Johnson also teaches at the University of California at Berkley. The novel looks through the eyes of Achilles, one of two African-American soldiers who were raised by white adoptive parents.

T. Geronimo Johnson will speak about his novel Hold It ‘til It Hurts at the Portage District LibrarySaturday afternoon at 2 o’clock. The event co-sponsored by the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society is free and open to the public. National Book Award winner Jaimy Gordon will interview Johnson, followed by a book signing.