“God Knew” is the authorized biography of retired Georgia state legislator Hinson Mosley, authored by Buford resident Joy Fowler. The book, released on Oct. 6, 2020, details the story of Rep. Mosley’s life from being born into a poor, sharecropping family in Southeast Georgia, to surviving double pneumonia as an infant during the Depression years prior to the development of antibiotics, to serving in the Korean War, to the seven terms he spent in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Mostly known in the Buford area for her work with choral music students at Buford High School and as a recording artist and worship leader in churches across the country, Fowler has also been a contributing writer to the North Gwinnett Voice since its inception, writing fine arts-related news; often wishing to be uncredited as a staff reporter.
“I suppose writing things for the BHS Choral Music Department all those years — scripts for all those Variety Shows, correspondence, press releases and such — really prepared me to become a writer in ways I never saw coming,” Fowler said.
She has also been a songwriter, having written or co-written seven of the 12 songs on her last album project.
“Then in 2016, my brother and mom convinced me to write my aging dad’s biography, a project we collaborated on for two years,” she said. “During that time, our old family friend Hinson (Mosley) started talking with me about writing his biography. We started in the fall of 2018 and finished in the summer of 2020.”
The release date was planned to be held in conjunction with Rep. Mosley’s 88th birthday, which was celebrated Oct. 17 with a book signing, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, at the high school stadium in his hometown of Jesup, with several area pastors, community leaders and politicians in attendance.
Divided into two main sections, part one of “God Knew” gives an account of life in rural Georgia through the eyes of a shy boy overcoming his self-doubt. Part two of the book details Rep. Mosley’s life as an influential Georgia lawmaker, complete with a behind-the-scenes view of politics under the gold dome, and addresses topics such as dirty campaigning, term limits, racial bias, reapportionment, lobbies and more. Additionally, the book covers the 12 “post-retirement” years when Mosley served on the boards of Satilla EMC and went on to serve with the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation and Georgia Systems Operation Corporation, which control the electric power for rural areas across Georgia.
“Hinson’s life is an amazing one,” Fowler said. “To see the trajectory of how Hinson’s early life fascinations fed into his eventual life’s work encapsulates the main idea behind what exactly God knew. It’s a genuine, faith-building story of how God is working in our lives, putting pieces together for our benefit that we never saw coming — something we all need to be reminded of daily.”
For more information about the book “God Knew,” visit www.joywatersfowler.com.
— Staff Reports
