Lanterns in the Dark

Before there were legends...

There were ordinary people forced to make extraordinary choices.

Return to the unforgettable world of Orange Mound, where every street holds a story, every family carries a secret, and every life leaves behind a lantern for someone else to follow.

In this powerful anthology, bestselling author Angelo P. Hopson explores the lives that shaped the community long before the events of Lanterns in the Dark. A gifted poet discovers that love can outlive distance. A young boy's tragic death changes an entire neighborhood forever. A grandmother refuses to let her grandson become another statistic. A feared crime boss transforms himself into a political kingmaker. A grieving widow learns how to live after unimaginable loss. An educator discovers that doing the right thing often comes with a cost. A preacher confronts the difference between finding God and finding religion. A son raised on hatred reveals how evil is taught rather than born. And one man who loses everything spends decades proving that it is never too late to become the person he was meant to be.

Spanning generations, Lanterns in the Dark: Tales from the Bottoms is a sweeping collection of interconnected stories about love, grief, faith, injustice, perseverance, redemption, and the extraordinary resilience of an often misunderstood community. Some stories will break your heart. Others will restore your hope. Together, they illuminate the people who made Orange Mound unforgettable.

Welcome back to the Bottoms.