Priscilla

<p>It's time to share stories that haven't been told yet and to introduce new heroines as well. Political enthusiasts will find this thriller convincing. It reveals what happens behind the scenes in the Ohio Senate during the early 1980s reflecting many of the same dynamics seen in legislative chambers elsewhere even today. </p><p></p><p>PRISCILLA Engaging in the Game of Politics introduces Priscilla J. PJ Austin a bright carefree and ambitious young woman who as a legislative aide takes us inside the Ohio Senate where she witnesses senators staff influential lobbyists and visitors firsthand sharing the secrets she uncovers. Only an insider can provide such vivid examples that reveal all the scheming the importance of leadership and seniority the challenges faced by minority parties the influence of sponsorship in legislation the role of powerful lobbyists committee activities voting and more.</p><p></p><p>How does she manage to do all that? Back in the day no one paid much attention to a Black woman working in a legislative body especially one so young whom everyone took for granted. In fact Priscilla was often mistaken for a low-level staff member like a page-someone who runs errands makes copies and delivers coffee. Additionally in the early 1980s people like Priscilla were considered invisible meaning that even though she is a real person no one notices her similar to the invisible man in Ralph Ellison's novel.</p><p></p><p>However Priscilla was on a mission that had little to do with her role in the Ohio Senate which was simply a means to an end. Earlier for reasons not yet known her father asked her to move closer to home in Prendergast New York. To fulfill this favor for her beloved father she reaches out to an Ohio state senator she interned with during her graduate studies at <em>The</em> Ohio State University with whom she also had an affair. The senator offers her a position as his legislative aide which she accepts. She then leaves her faculty position at Florida A&M University and begins working in the Ohio Senate. And the story takes off from there.</p><p></p><p>The opening scene features Priscilla as a young college professor teaching political science majors who are nearly as old as her at twenty-five. </p><p></p><p>Throughout the story she reflects on her early life when as a teenager she often got into trouble. Clearly her love for her upbringing in the Snowbelt of western New York is undeniable as she proudly highlights Christmastime with her family the contributions of Catherine Harris (a pioneer conductor of the Underground Railroad) the scenic snow-covered landscapes the birthplace of television legend Lucille Ball and most notably the world-famous Chautauqua Institute. However not all her life has been perfect.</p><p></p><p>Since she started working in the Ohio Senate everyone has wondered why she chose to be there especially after leaving a higher-paying and more prestigious job as a college professor. Priscilla keeps this to herself - not even sharing it with her boss Ohio state Senator Daniel P. Callahan until late in the story. </p><p></p><p>Readers also get a firsthand look at Black middle-class family life which is similar to that of any other middle-class family. Readers might especially appreciate learning about how and why a Black Methodist minister raises his daughter as if she were a son. Additionally we eventually find out the reason why the good reverend asked his daughter to move closer to home in the first place.</p><p></p><p>Toward the end as she is no longer invisible Priscilla surprises us by doing something that as one reviewer notes weathering it like a veteran from New York tabloid wars... But readers must keep turning pages to find out what happens which itself is intriguing.</p><p></p><p>No matter your political stance this story rings true. </p>