Publisher's Synopsis
The compelling true story of Patrick Patterson - a young African-American man from small-town Mississippi, who's life is transformed after receiving a vintage sewing machine from a neighbor. During the rocky transition of his parents divorcing and entering a new high school - Patterson has to wade through years of domestic violence, physical trauma, religiosity, and homophobia to make it to graduation night. A dedication to education takes him to Chicago, Illinois (after graduating high school) - where he meets, Orenthal, a fellow design student who serves as his "good Judy" through the coming-of-age years of attending fashion design college in the big city. Together, they brave the uncertainties of growing up young, gifted, and black - and at times, hilariously unhinged by their radically different backgrounds. Both go on to become "Rising Stars" in Chicago's vibrant fashion industry during the late 1990's - creating two distinctive legacies that would bond them forever. 'Roots, Wings, & a Sewing Machine' is about family, neighbors, friendship, love, pain, forgiveness, ministry, industry, faith... and the power of giving a child a choice.
