The Manual — Sherryle Kiser Jackson

Deidre Collins can’t help but compare her fourteen-year-old son, DeAndre, to his father. who walked out of their lives eight years ago. Even after rededicating herself to the Lord, she’s having a hard time forgiving and forgetting. Lately, she can’t understand where the sweet child she raised has gone, replaced by this disobedient and disrespectful person. Lately, DeAndre keeps one foot in church and the other foot in trouble.
After the sudden loss of his own father, Andre Hicks resurfaces in Deidre and DeAndre’s lives with a determination to compensate for the time lost with his son. Reluctant to see Andre as the answer to her prayers, Deidre must set aside her reservations in order to let DeAndre stay with his father during his suspension from school.
Father and son forge a bond that puts Deidre in constant contact with Andre. Old feelings are brought to the surface. Can they leave behind the disappointments of the past in order to do what is right for their son’s future? Can they submit their will to the possibilities of what God has in store for all of them?