One of the best ways to understand someone, what they did and the difference they made is to put yourself in that person’s shoes.
That is essentially what Alabama businessman Jerry Lathan did in writing his novel, “You Will Be Peter.”
"I felt a call to write this book. It is a mission,” Lathan told 1819 News. "Peter, an ordinary fisherman, was used by God to found the most important institution in world history -- the Christian church.”
Forefront Books released the 396-page hardback on Tuesday, sold through Amazon, Simon & Schuster, and other outlets.
The book won the 2023 Paris Book Festival and the 2023 New England Book Festival.
Lathan is a successful roofing and historic preservation contractor. His work preserving buildings of historic significance, especially in Alabama history, helped him develop an interest in telling the human story of Peter, Simon Peter, and the apostle Peter. “On this rock will I build my church.”
"If this had taken place in Alabama, Paul would have a couple of degrees behind his name and would have been a professor at Springhill College. Peter would have been a fisherman at Bayou La Batre,” Lathan said. "How did such an ordinary man make such an extraordinary difference? That is the story."
Lathan also served as vice chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, and his wife Terry was its former state chair.
The book review on Amazon states:
He’s one of the most well-known figures in cultures around the world, etched into stained glass, painted in frescoes, even caricatured as standing at the gates of heaven with a long white beard and keys in hand. But long before he was portrayed as a venerated and untouchable figure, Peter was simply known as Simon, a twenty-something fisherman in a far-flung Jewish province controlled by the Roman Empire.
Loyal and faithful, impetuous and passionate, Simon’s quiet life is upended by the arrival of a man called Jesus of Nazareth, rumored to be the long-awaited Messiah who would rescue the Jewish people from oppression. When Simon meets Jesus, the mysterious man tells him, “You will be Peter,” a prophetic statement that would slowly transform Simon’s life. Eager to be free of the Romans, Simon joins Jesus in hopes that he can guard this leader who will, undoubtedly, build an army to challenge Rome. But as Simon waits for the army to form, he watches Jesus show a compassion for others Simon has never seen before. The miracles Jesus performs—healing the sick, feeding crowds of thousands—show not a display of military might, but of service and love.
Real, relatable and impeccably researched, You Will Be Peter draws on the four Gospel accounts to weave Simon Peter’s story into one seamless tapestry. Readers get a front-row seat to Simon’s three-year walk with Jesus, as Simon watches the Son of Man feed the hungry, raise the dead, upend the status quo and challenge the elite during one of world history’s most pivotal seasons.
In perhaps one of the greatest miracles, we can see ourselves in Simon, this ordinary man Jesus chose to accompany Him. Simon wasn’t well-educated, but he was faithful and headstrong. Though he could rush to judgment and use a foul word from time to time, he was the kind of friend who loved fiercely and was doggedly loyal—until he wasn’t. Although he failed, Simon wasn’t cast away from Jesus’ mission. In fact, his failures and subsequent redemption made him a more empathetic and capable rock upon whom the Church was built.
With storytelling artistry that transports readers to the first-century world, with the sights, sounds, and smells of that time, You Will Be Peter shares an age-old story told from a new set of eyes: it’s possible for one ordinary person, however unlikely, to change the world forever.
Co-author of the book is veteran writer Steven Manchester.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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