In a slow-paced 1970s Missouri, a young black son of a pastor searches for his place in the world.
Eleven-year-old Jeremiah McGill is at a cusp in his young life. It's 1971 and America is in a historical transition with sons in the Vietnam War, fundamental changes in civil rights, protests, and political tumult. As the young boy wants only to pass his time reading comic books and galivanting with his friends, his preacher father has a different divine destiny in mind for him. Feeling removed and uncertain about his connection to his faith, Jeremiah's not sure where he fits in.
As Jeremiah begins his discovery of who he is, the boy has a whirlwind of questions troubling him: confusion about his new friendship with a white boy at school, navigating the relationships that he has with some of his questionable friends, and defining his place within his faith-driven family. Jeremiah is at a crossroads, trying to figure out his place in the world. And though it may be evident to others in his life, it's something the boy must do on his own.

MG author Joseph L. Moore has been a storyteller since childhood. His inspiration comes from listening to his parents and their friends on Sunday evenings talk about their times growing up in the church as young kids, their joy reminiscing, and the adventures they had. Joseph wanted to share their rich history and has woven that into his new young adult coming of age novel, The Call of Jeremiah McGill, a historical fiction story with a Christian backdrop.Joseph believes a good book is one with honesty, that shares the truth of a situation whether good or bad, and one where the reader can find themselves in the story. In The Call of Jeremiah McGill, a young boy is discovering who he is called to be in life. Joseph hopes his young readers come away from his book learning a bit about history and asking questions about Jesus and their own spirituality, and that it starts a conversation that lasts long after the book is closed.When he isn't writing spiritual and enlightening books for young adults, Joseph is a musician and singer and enjoys listening to soft worship music as he writes. Having grown up in the church and in faith, Joseph currently serves as a minister of music of House of Prayer, World Outreach Mission. An educator for nine years, Joseph lives in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, south of St. Louis. The Call of Jeremiah McGill is his debut novel.