Book Event For Bessie's Prayer by Walter D. Braud

We want to invite you to Walter D. Braud’s book event for “Bessie’s Prayer” Thursday, December 5th at the Rock Island Public Library – Watts Midtown Branch (2715 30th St. Rock Island, IL 61201) from 6PM – 7:30PM (doors open at 5:30PM). You can expect entertaining excerpt readings, an engaged Q&A, book signing, light refreshments, and a wonderful evening!

After retiring at the age of 80 in 2019, Walter Braud decided to put his life stories to paper. Bessie’s Prayer is a vivid and wondrous memoir of love for family, faith, and adventure by the African American author. From the Great Black Migration and life in Chicago to a triumphant law career and Chief Judgeship in the heart of the Midwest. He credits his remarkable mother, Bessie, and her very specific prayers for him, which he knows made all the difference in his life.

Walter was born and grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where he held several different jobs: taxi driver, postal worker, train switch operator, and doo-wop singer. He went on to become a public-school teacher, a lawyer, and the first Black prosecutor in Rock Island, Illinois. In his private practice, he served as a criminal defense and civil rights trial attorney for twenty-seven years. In 2001, he became the first Black Circuit Judge in Western Illinois. In 2014, he became the Chief Justice of the 14th Judicial Circuit of Illinois, only the second Black Chief Judge in Illinois history. Walter resides in Rock Island with his wife of 62 years, Gertrude.

You can learn more by visiting the website https://www.bessiesprayer.com/. Softcover, E-Book, and Audiobook available on Amazon. Facebook @Bessie’s Prayer by Walter D. Braud. Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.