Publisher's Synopsis
At the heart of the 8 compelling nonfiction stories and 5-article appendix which make up Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah is this interesting question: What would your life mean if you were living someone else's dream of what it should be? Possible intriguing answers arise from different individual perspectives, historical situations, and contemporary challenges.The introduction sets the unusual stage for the texts which follow as the author contemplates Georgia state founder James Oglethorpe's dreams for America's thirteenth colony and his possible reactions to conditions in thecity of Savannah today. "What he did not," the author proposes, "and perhaps could not, envision was the extent to which increasing cultural diversity and individual genius would begin to alter our collective experience of history..."In the title story, a well-known chronicler of the Harlem Renaissance contemplates what there is to gain or lose by editing a series of books on the American Civil War as it impacted, and still impacts, his hometown of Savannah. Without at first realizing it, a dream prepares him (almost) for a number of surprising results, including a flood of compassion for people he had never thought of as anything but enemies.The city's more cosmopolitan aspect and how that plays into the narrator's emotional and intellectual experiences of it is examined through several stories. They include: "Cities of Lights and Shadows and Dreams," "A Brazilian Thanksgiving in Savannah," and" [Claude] Monet, [Luther E.] Vann, and [Kahlil] Gibran at the Telfair Museum of Art."The humorous and yet serious tale of "Riding the Bus with Man-Boy and Shaniquananda: And Then Not" takes a look at how traditions and history sometimes clash with modern forms of communication in public spaces. In this case, how should a group of elderly African-American women respond to younger Blacks speaking loudly on cell phones about sexually intimate matters in their lives? "Savannah by the Twenty-first Century Numbers" is the most unusual of the book's narrative's as it combines a study of social realities with metaphysical analysis.By maintaining a steady focus on the evolving dynamics of his hometown and immersing himself in its cultural currents, Aberjhani has been able to glean and share insights applicable to individuals and communities around the world. From informed musings on family life, global warming, immigration, and slavery, to examinations of the power of art, technology, and numbers, he continuously engages readers' imaginations in thrilling and unexpected ways.
