SOUTH POINT — James Murphy knows his new book is going to make some people mad.

In fact, the South Point resident says he hopes that people will get upset and take action against what he sees as ongoing discrimination against minorities, senior citizens and the poor.

The 65-year-old will soon release his first book, “America, Let’s Be Real and Truthful.”

In a nutshell, Murphy describes his six-chapter book as: “The truth about our elected officials in the nation and how Lawrence County, Ohio, may be discriminating in employment. How some of our elected officials in Lawrence County, Ohio, may play the race card. The truth about our nation’s budget, (Hurricane) Katrina, religion and many other issues.”

Murphy said every chapter of the book comes back to accountability — people facing the truth and dealing with “religion, feelings and equality of all Americans.”

The lifelong Lawrence County resident said the book is based on the Bible and the need to follow the Scripture, instead of twisting it to fit certain situations.

“We as humans must stop the hatred of a group of people due to what a few have done to us personally or the country,” Murphy writes. “A true Christian does not have hate in his/her heart. If he/she does have hatred then you pray for God to remove the hate.”

Much of the book is focused on discrimination against minorities, particularly those in Lawrence County. Although about 6 percent of county residents are black, Murphy says that less than 6 percent of the workforce is black. He said few blacks are able to find jobs here and are forced to look elsewhere.

The book also takes to task the federal government and its policies, which Murphy said do not serve the underprivileged fairly.

“Don’t believe the book, look around and see for yourself,” he said. “I’m just putting the facts out there. There are no lies, nothing I made up.”

Murphy said blacks are also treated unfairly in the judicial system, which he says he has experienced first hand. Before becoming a truck driver, the U.S. Air Force retiree worked in the county child support office, but was fired after being indicted by a grand jury for stealing money, a crime he says he was framed for because of conflicts with local officials. All charges were later dropped.

He also had legal problems in 1991, when he was charged with aggravated menacing, another charge Murphy said was blown out of proportion by a judge.

“Almost every black man in this country has had a bad experience with our legal system. I have had my share of unequal justice,” he writes.

Murphy said he does not want to hurt anyone or make anyone look bad. So what does he want hope to accomplish with his book?

“We have to start looking at these judges’ and politicians’ records or how they rule in court and how they hire. If their ruling or vote isn’t fair then they should be voted out,” Murphy writes. “If you consider yourself a Christian, then vote and live as a Christian, let’s get real and truthful about the situation in Lawrence County and our country.”

Murphy’s book is expected to come out by the end of the month. It is being published by PublishAmerica, a Baltimore, Md.-based company, and will be available through Borders, Amazon and other book retailers.

Although this is his first book, Murphy stays humble about being a published author.

“No, I’m not really excited,” he said. “I have hopes of it changing things around here. Unless it changes the way people think and act I won’t be excited.”

Murphy said he will be working on a follow-up book in the near future.