In David Joseph’s fourth collection of fiction, I Wanted To Be A Bluesman, he explores human relationships through the Delta-dipped lens of the blues.

Each of the twelve stories in this collection are carefully intertwined with the blues—from Mississippi to Chicago and places in between. Along the way, the bricklayer, priest, car thief, cook, and others are connected through the common thread of the blues. Whether traveling by car towards Clarksdale in searing summer heat or on a train bound for the north, the blues cross borders and play on.

And yet, these aren’t so much stories about the blues as they are stories about regular people who are connected to the music through the manner in which the blues have spoken to them and shaped their lives. The music provides the backdrop for their dreams, desires, memories, decisions, uncertainty, secrets, and, in some cases, their chance at redemption.

Written in the clear, plainspoken prose that has become his signature style, the stories in this collection emanate coolness amidst hardship, acceptance in the wake of regret, understanding in the presence of difference, and humility in a world starving for it—not so different from the blues themselves.

Editorial Reviews

INDIES TODAY
★★★★★
Reviewed by Jordan Ehmann

David Joseph's storytelling is dazzling as ever in his tribute to blues music, I Wanted To Be A Bluesman. With a comfortable pace and highly relatable characters, the tales ring with a truthfulness that makes you marvel at how fiction can so vividly capture reality. With a narrative voice as soulful as the music he adores, David Joseph's I Wanted To Be A Bluesman is a life-affirming collection that hits all the right notes.
 
READERS FAVORITE
★★★★★
Reviewed by Carol Thompson

Each story in this anthology honors the transformative power of music, especially the blues, and its profound influence on the human spirit. Joseph's prose is lyrical and vibrant, capturing the essence of a past era with a contemporary sensibility. I Wanted to Be a Bluesman is a moving and beautifully written collection that captures the soul of blues music and its enduring impact.

 
INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF BOOKS

Composed with the gritty edge of Deep South sorrow, I Wanted to Be a Bluesman by David Joseph is a stirring reflection on how music permeates every corner of our lives. Brought to life with an unflinching style of prose that leaves no emotion untapped, and an inventive use of language. These tales are comprised of venerative recollections about seminal music and musicians, making the stories a poignant, long-form love note to an era that still echoes today.

Click here to get your copy of I Wanted To Be A Bluesman — now available on Amazon.
Twelve powerful stories shaped by the soul of the blues — discover them today.

Or visit dsjoseph.com to learn more about the author and explore his other acclaimed books.

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