The Troubles of Johnny Cannon

"A boy with a highly original voice winces his way into the bewildering world of adults during a neglected moment in American history."

“The Troubles of Johnny Cannon is a gripping novel, filled with great characters and big ideas. Johnny Cannon is a touching, fascinating hero with a wonderfully original voice, and through him, Isaiah Campbell tells an engrossing tale set against the backdrop of both the Civil Rights movement and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. I don't wish any more troubles upon poor Johnny, but I wouldn't mind reading another few novels with him, either."

"Isaiah Campbell has given us something special with The Troubles of Johnny Cannon—a story of humor, mystery, and heart, of courage and friendship and what it means to be family, all told in the unforgettable voice of Johnny Cannon himself—a hero you won’t soon forget. This is a book that made me laugh and think, and had me cheering for Johnny at every turn. An ambitious and exciting read."

"Isaiah Campbell took me right to the heart of everything hopeful and harrowing about being a kid in a complicated 1960s world. He also made me laugh, starting on page one. The only trouble with The Troubles of Johnny Cannon is that the pages ran out at the end."

"Johnny and Willie are well-drawn characters to care about, and Cullman's a large-enough world for them to live out their stories. Over-the-top fun."

"A significant amount of historical events—including the Cuban missile crisis and race riots—are balanced by Johnny’s back-country, boyish point of view. A good choice for fans of historical fiction."

"While the story takes some implausible, larger-than-life turns, Campbell balances them with a sensitive, authentic look at racial conflict and attitudes in 1960s Alabama, filtered through Johnny’s distinctive attitude and voice."

"Debut author Campbell offers a refreshingly realistic protagonist who is living in a unique and important time in U.S. history...A book that addresses important historical events with tact and poignancy."

"Johnny’s witty, down-home narrative voice interrogates the racism of his classmates while maintaining a Huck Finn–like innocence with regard to its own, and his fascination with history as well as his own past provide a clever way of working in the complex backstory that led up to the Bay of Pigs, giving readers a real taste of what poverty, patriotism, and boyhood looked like in the early sixties in the South."