It's the beginning of the 21st century and Charles Rivers, a Black college professor and Vietnam vet who came of age during the freedom struggles of the 60s, is worn down by the routine of teaching and grading at his New York City university. A widower for many years, he is lonely and worried about his missing son. But on 9/11 his life changes dramatically when a homeless former student leaves her child with him and disappears, prompting him to seek help from a younger married colleague with whom he begins an affair. Told from the viewpoints of Charles, his student Keisha, his lover Rosetta, and his son Jason, Deep Rivers is about the search for connection and wholeness in a ruptured and racially divided society that often fails the most vulnerable. It is a story about surviving loss, finding family, and experiencing love that transcends boundaries.
It's the beginning of the 21st century and Charles Rivers, a Black college professor and Vietnam vet who came of age during the freedom struggles of the 60s, is worn down by the routine of teaching and grading at his New York City university. A widower for many years, he is lonely and worried about his missing son. But on 9/11 his life changes dramatically when a homeless former student leaves her child with him and disappears, prompting him to seek help from a younger married colleague with whom he begins an affair. Told from the viewpoints of Charles, his student Keisha, his lover Rosetta, and his son Jason, Deep Rivers is about the search for connection and wholeness in a ruptured and racially divided society that often fails the most vulnerable. It is a story about surviving loss, finding family, and experiencing love that transcends boundaries.