Cleansed — Louis Edwards

The school principal is missing. Mr. Leroy Peoples has never been late or absent in over 20 years, yet today he is nowhere to be found. It is almost like he evaporated into thin air. Frantic calls to him have gone unanswered. A late morning visit to his house reveals that he is not there. His car is gone and the house is locked. Days pass and there is still no sign of Peoples. Most agree that he is old and senile and should have retired years ago. Others call him an evil racist. No one believes he actually runs the school. Yet, nonetheless his is gone.

Mr. D.J. Larue, a custodian in the school, along with Mrs. Kelly, the principal's secretary, are acknowledged as the people who really manage the school. The teachers and parents know this. Larue and Kelly always get the job done. Larue loves his job and loves the school. He will do anything to protect it. The school is his life.

In Cleansed, Larue tells his story of being an African American from the deep south, now living in urban northeast. He confronts institutional racism along with the politics of small-town America. Even though he is a black custodian he is allowed to join the local "good old boy" network, that white unofficial club that controls everything.

You will walk side by side with Larue as he cleans the school and community in his own special way. A must read for anyone who ever worked in a school!