Fiction

A Warm Place to Call Home (A Demon's Story)
Michael Siemsen
Fantome, $14.95 paper (244p) ISBN 978-0-9834469-7-2
A demon's evolution into a caring "human" is the refrain of this quirky novel. Frederick delights in taking over bodies and deleting the personalities of their owners, and he is indifferent about the consequences to the usurped. Attracted to 34-year-old Melanie, Frederick occupies the body of her boyfriend, Joseph Cling. Siemsen injects some humor into Frederick's improvised relationships with Melanie's family, but focuses on Frederick's increasing devotion to Melanie, especially in the face of a suspected rival. Siemsen throws in startling revelations from Joseph's brother James to force Frederick into a stark choice. The transformation of Frederick from brash, self-centered demon into a concerned person provides a central motif, but the ludicrous evolution of events somewhat undercuts the intended moral lesson.

A Wilder Rose: Rose Wilder Lane, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Their Little Houses
Susan Wittig Albert
Persevero, $14.99 paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-9892035-0-0
Rose Wilder Lane was the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and an accomplished professional author. Over the years, there has been literary conjecture that she was responsible in large part for the authorship of the Little House series. Albert's book is fictional, but based on Lane's unpublished diaries and letters, and makes a strong case for her active involvement with the Little House books. Albert presents the story of a strong-willed successful woman driven to help her parents develop their nest egg during the Great Depression. Lane labors tirelessly at her own work and editing that of her mother, never accepting credit or money, but growing frustrated at the difficulties and demands over time. Albert does an excellent job of bringing historical figures to life in a credible way; her novel is well paced, its characterizations are strong, and the plot is solidly constructed.. Readers begin to understand Lane's personality and mentality, as well as the things that drive her. Albert immerses readers in a historical period and gets them to understand the political and social conflicts of the time. Fans of Wilder will be intrigued by the book's thesis and its presentation.

Above and Beyond: A Novel of the Civil War
Jessica James
Patriot, $14.95 paper (205p) ISBN 978-0-9796000-9-8
Douglas Benton is an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Sarah Duvall is a Virginian and the widow of a Union officer. She is known to be no friend to the rebel army. When the two meet in the presence of General Lee, Benton learns a secret—Duvall is a crucial spy in the war effort and partially responsible for his current command. Benton is put in the difficult position of protecting her, while not surrendering her secret. The two grow close in the process, eventually falling in love. But when the Union Army discovers her secret, both Duvall and Benton's love and lives are put at risk. James has a skillful grasp of the more romanticized parts of the Civil War, but tends to gloss over its less glamorous aspects, drawing Benton and Duvall with broad strokes that will make them appealing to readers. At times, the plot struggles with contrivance, but readers who are engaged with the characters and their romance will find a lot to like.

Castles in the Sand
Annie Daylon
McRac, $12.95 paper (247p) ISBN 978-0-9866980-1-9
Justin Wentworth lost his parents in an automobile accident when he was 18, and ever since he's been trying to compensate by overspending and focusing on material goods and alcohol—behaviors that eventually cost him his relationship with his wife and son and leave him homeless. While on the streets, he meets Steve Jameson, a graduate student doing his thesis on homelessness. Steve wants to do research on what sort of family troubles lead to homelessness, so he helps Justin and offers to take him to AA in exchange for his story. Justin agrees, even though he doesn't trust Steve, and gradually reveals his story. But as Justin delves deeper and deeper, he uncovers buried truths that might destroy him. Daylon's novel is a cautionary tale about entitlement, debt, and anger. The author ably portrays the behavior cycles that lead to alcoholic self-destruction. However, the characters and the book's conclusion are simplistic. Some readers may find the novel's predictability comfortable, but others will find the story overly familiar.

Color of Lies
Abbe Rolnick
Sedro, $14.95 paper (248p) ISBN 978-0-9845119-1-4
The loss of a "nuclear" bomb off Puerto Rico during WWII brings strange consequences in this overwrought exploration of a stressed community in Washington State decades later. Twenty-six-year-old Maria de la Via, visiting her Aunt JoAnne, quickly discovers that neighbor Molly McCain is a whole lot worse than unpleasant. A long-standing spat over property rights threatens to escalate into a fight involving all of Concrete, Wash., as animal deaths and the dumping of toxic materials raise suspicions about long-buried secrets. This timely theme is hampered by wooden dialogue and minimal character development: Molly is presented as evil incarnate, and Maria's search for answers predictably finds a parallel in a developing romance. Rolnick's overriding message is that acquiescing to evil and bullying immerses individuals and community in a circle of lies; her heavy-handed, frequently bombastic dialogue reduces most of her characters to uninteresting stick fixtures. A less rigid delineation of good and evil might have given more focus to this examination of a community struggling to throw off its passivity in the face of an emergency.

Deceit: A Pete Thorsen Mystery
Robert Wangard
Ampersand, $17.95 paper (312p) ISBN 978-1-4675-4523-5
When lawyer Pete Thorsen is called on to identify the body of former girlfriend Lynn Hawke, he learns that she also holds a driver's license in the name of Laura Mati. The ensuing complications give Thorsen's inclination to sleuth a workout in this well-plotted mystery. This third installment in the series finds Thorsen embarking on a solitary investigation, as Sheriff Emory Bond regards Hawke's death as an accident. Wangard stirs the pot further with the murder of a charter boat operator, a killing that brings Thorsen into conflict with Homeland Security special agent Keegan Harris. Wangard's complex plotting is more notable for its straightforward and relentless pursuit of answers than for action pyrotechnics. Thorsen is a subdued protagonist, but his character is developed through occasional glimpses at his personal life and his acerbic friendship with dour newspaperman Harry McTigue. Capable of guile and forceful questioning, Thorsen is a solid addition to the mystery genre.

Full Frontal: To Make a Long Story Short
Tom Baker
iUniverse, $10.95 paper (117p) ISBN 978-1-4759-5826-3
Baker's stories span the lifetime of Tim Halladay, from his coming-of-age to the relationships formed and dissolved as he matures. Collectively, the narrative follows Tim, a prideful and sexually active gay man, for decades: through his boyhood in the mid-1950s in New England through the mid-1970s and beyond. Tim's boyhood is spent as a caddie at a country club with his best friend Jimmy, palling around with friend Bobby, then pursuing an interest in dance and theater, and enlisting in the army. More raucous adventures throughout the 1970s in New York City solidify his intentions to find men not just for sexual pleasure but also for a more romantic connection. The book concludes with a short story set at a Gay Pride parade in 2014, as Tim befriends a young man, much like a former version of himself, struggling with issues of identity and self-worth. Early in the book, Tim ponders: "What was wrong with two friends having feelings?" This sentiment resonates throughout Baker's stories, and both gay and straight readers will relate to Tim's plight to find himself and someone to truly love. The fact that Tim never feels his desires and urges are anything but natural is the true beating heart of this patchwork that is poignant, tactfully sensual, and much too short. Readers will be left wanting more of Tim Halladay and his lifelong search for love.

Ghosts of Royston: A Thriller
Eric G. Dove
Eric G. Dove, $14.99 paper (256p) ISBN 978-1-4820-4396-9
Cole Danner is driving with wife Natalie and teenage daughter Sophia when a truck comes out of nowhere and crashes into their car. The next thing Cole knows, he's half-dead in a river, and his wife and daughter are missing and presumed dead. Sophia wakes up in a cabin in the woods with a woman who is convinced that she is her dead daughter, Ruthie. The woman's three sons concur, especially the eldest, Gabriel. Soon, Sophia realizes that Gabriel intends to molest her the way he molested his real sister. Meanwhile, Cole's flashbacks to the accident lead him to believe that he was the victim of attempted murder, his family may still be alive, and it is up to him to save them. Dove delivers a well-paced, albeit overly complicated, thriller. Readers will shudder at Gabriel's sinister behavior and find themselves on the edge of their seats as Cole races against time. And while there are elements that will stretch reader patience, many will be willing to overlook them as they get caught up in the gripping story.

Havana Lost
Libby Fischer Hellmann
The Red Herrings, $16.99 paper (300p) ISBN 978-1-938733-38-3
In Cuba, on the eve of the revolution, 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli's mobster father runs a casino. While Francesca is supposed to marry another man, she falls in love with Cuban revolutionary Luis and becomes pregnant. But Francesca's father kidnaps her, and she is taken to the U.S. Luis never finds her again. Year later, Francesca's son, Michael, is sent to Cuba on dangerous family business—and the trip changes his life and that of his family. This sprawling tale takes readers from Cuba to Angola and Chicago and back again. While the story of the Cuban revolution, as well as the Cuban military efforts in Angola, is fascinating, readers will find their credulity strained by plot holes and the author's reliance on coincidences. The story's twists and turns become frustrating and it's difficult to be fully invested in the characters.

Kooriime
L.A. Jones, illus. by Antonio Clemente Fernandez
Abbott, $33.99 paper (558p) ISBN 978-1-4582-0926-9
Kooriime is an island paradise populated by elves that has been hidden from humanity for centuries. The elves have flourished in peaceful abundance, but their lives are violently disrupted by the appearance of humans. When outsiders discover the elves, they crave the natural resources of Kooriime and set about kidnapping hundreds of elves for scientific purposes. The elves fight back to protect their own, with the novel following the stories of several elves who are kidnapped, rescued, and find their way to a haven in New York City. Jones has done some solid world-building here, but much of it draws on other works of fantasy and will seem familiar. Many elves in this sprawling, meandering tale are gay, but this just serves to make the many elven characters more indistinguishable and prompt readers to wonder which story of alienation Jones is trying to tell. Fans of the fantasy genre—even contemporary fantasy—won't know quite what to do with this ambitious novel.

Life Erupted
Mary Stanik, illus. by Jack Ohman
Mary Stanik, $11.99 paper (222p) ISBN 978-0-9883900-0-3
At age 36, Jenn Bergquist finds life as media relations director of a Minneapolis hospital tolerable if romantically unrewarding. She travels to Iceland when famous psychic Bianca Fiona, awaiting a liver transplant, asks her to work with Bianca's volcanologist brother, Tony. While this fortuitous intervention allows Jenn to escape the hospital, the trip leads to the revelation of decades-old secrets that threaten to change Jenn's life. Although romance prevails and good fortune implausibly intervenes, Jenn never becomes more than a cipher. Stanik evidently draws on her own life experience in creating the well-developed Jenn. However, the implausible action, even less plausible wrapping up, and mixed bag of unusual characters may leave readers indifferent.

My Summer on Haight Street
Robert Rice Jr.
Fox Point, $14.99 paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-615-76758-1
Rice provides an informed, if surface, glimpse at the turmoil of 1967 as three young Milwaukee men ponder their future amid the escalating Vietnam War. To narrator Bob Ralston, reviewing events as he prepares for retirement, the Summer of Love in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury was irresistibly alluring. Straight-arrow John Haus enlists in the army, while Jim Gaston opts for the alternative lifestyles of a commune and ashram. Ralston's initial enthusiastic embrace of San Francisco becomes tempered by exposure to radical ideologues. Along with the diverse paths the three friends take, Rice weaves a mosaic of Vietnam violence, radical bombings, and FBI vigilance, with side glimpses at such onetime cultural figures as Timothy Leary. Forced, in a somewhat contrived incident, to choose between the dominant culture and the counterculture, Ralston opts to follow his convictions rather than his fears. Rice's handling of his complex subject evokes the anguished arguments of the times, while adroitly avoiding simplistic conclusions. This look at a bygone era will provide period survivors some reminiscent moments, while offering a kind of abbreviated tour to those interested in a time when things could seriously be described as "groovy."

Not for Profit
Glenn Shepard
Mystery House, $17.96 paper (248p) ISBN 978-0-615-76552-5
Scott James, an orchid-loving North Carolina plastic surgeon, takes on for-profit medicine and al-Qaeda in this vigorous if overwrought medical thriller. Opposing the plan of Herb Waters—the president of Jackson Healthcare Systems—to sell Jackson City Hospital to a for-profit chain, James finds his career and life endangered by mysterious murders. And to make matters worse, al-Qaeda operatives are hard at work assembling Silkworm missiles in a local barn. As James works to clear his name and save the day, he finds an ambiguous ally in former office manager Ethel Keyes. Double identities and derring-do abound, and James's commitment to health care for the needy seems unlikely to prevail over bullets, suicide bombers, and Silkworm missiles. Although Shepard provides some moments of genuine suspense, his novel suffers from implausible and often incomprehensible complications and a proliferation of characters.

Operation Saladin: Sequel to The Wayward Spy
Roger Croft
Cassio Books International, $12.99 paper (258p) ISBN 978-1-4823-1169-3
The transfer of dynastic power in Syria sparks romantic rivalry, espionage, and adventure in this complexly plotted spy thriller. Former covert operator Michael Vaux, now a booze-loving journalist, sheds his identity and is recruited by a British intelligence unit to help Syrian nuclear scientist Nessim Said, code-named Saladin, defect to the West. Croft renders a plausible account of the ambiguities of espionage, while his world of double-dealing and treachery, with a suggestion of indifferent, manipulative bureaucrats, confirms the dour observation of a veteran spymaster that loyalty among spies verges upon being an oxymoron. Croft's moral wilderness and compilation of treachery rings far truer than the glamour of a James Bond, and the clash between romance, personal loyalty, and institutional duplicity bears the unmistakable tone of one who knows.

Partners
Andy Solomon
BookBaby, $8.99 e-book (343p) ISBN 978-1-62675-296-2
Mark Hollander is a student and artist when he meets Holly McIvey. They fall for each other and soon marry, despite their youth and poverty. The couple struggles to succeed at work and college, and after the birth of their son, Ben, they move from Pittsburgh to Florida. Soon Holly—who takes a job at a women's shelter—begins to distance herself from Mark, eventually leaving and giving him custody of Ben. Mark tries to make it as a single parent, and in time comes to a startling realization about Holly's past. Solomon tells a meandering story of love, loss, growing up, and parenthood that suffers from slow pacing and a choppy structure. Unfortunately, this will take some out of a fascinating novel populated by well-developed, vivid characters.

Reader: Daughter of Time: Book I
Erec Stebbins
Twice Pi, $24.99 hardcover (312p) ISBN 978-0-9890004-4-4
Can 17-year-old Ambra Dawn save the Earth from a malevolent alien emperor in the late 21st century? Stebbins presents a dark vision of humanity in thrall to a merciless but technologically advanced alien race known as the Dram. Kidnapped by these evil aliens for her special gift (as a "reader" she has visions of the past and future), Ambra is subjected to torture that deprives her of her eyesight but expands her powers. She is later sold into slavery but freed by the Xix, a benevolent alien race. With her powers exceeding those of all previous readers, Ambra must travel through space and time to defeat the Dram and save the universe. Stebbins's complex sci-fi novel is well plotted, and the world and alien races he creates are rich, clearly imagined, and full of detail. Readers of thoughtful science fiction that offers myriad allusions to everyday themes will welcome this springboard to a new and imaginative series.

Rivka's War: A Novel
Marilyn Oser
Mill City, $14.95 paper (274p) ISBN 978-1-62652-050-9
Rivka is a young Jewish girl in WWI-era Russia. While visiting her brother, she hears an inspirational speech by Yashka, a Russian woman and war veteran. Yashka is so zealous in her patriotism that she is formulating a battalion of women, a "Battalion of Death." Several young women, including Rivka, are inspired to follow her. The battalion goes into combat, fighting against the German enemy and the skepticism of fellow Russians. Oser's tale should be riveting, but the novel meanders significantly. Rivka herself is a compelling heroine, representing both the Jewish diaspora and the precarious politics of the time very well. However, there are too many stories, which are given too little time and focus, leaving a feeling of being rushed and scattered.

Roxana's Revolution
Farin Powell
iUniverse, $34.95 hardcover (443p) ISBN 978-1-4759-8063-9
Roxana, an Iranian attorney on Wall Street, is doing well for herself and enjoying life in the United States. That all changes with the hostage crisis of 1979. When she starts facing prejudice in the States, Roxana decides to return to Iran. While she thinks she'll be relatively insulated from the changes that have taken place in Iran, given her education and experience, she is not. Roxana comes into conflict with new restrictions on women, causing her no end of frustration. She has an American admirer, but resists his advances for a while. Finally she decides to marry co-worker Afshin, whom she does not love, but who promises her a good life. Afshin becomes stingy, neglectful, and abusive, but Roxana fears losing custody of her children and is faced with a difficult decision. Few American readers are familiar with the Iranian side of the 1979 hostage crisis, and this is an eye-opening look at a country in turmoil. Roxana is a strong protagonist, and while readers may grow frustrated by unrealistic resistance to her American love, they will understand the cultural clash and empathize with her struggles. .

Spunk: A Fable
Helen O'Reilly
CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (305p) ISBN 978-1-4839-7987-8
O'Reilly delivers a fascinating novel about a group of women and girls who, in postapocalyptic New York City, belong to an Amazonian society that believes men are no longer a necessity in the world. In an effort to survive, the women—who live in a forest that now covers Manhattan—capture men to perpetuate their community, only to exterminate them when they have served their purpose. O'Reilly's characters are well drawn, and her prose straightforward and startling: "At first, and at Buffy's suggestion, the women had tried a sort of rough-and-ready castration technique that involved twine and a sharp knife, but the results were predictable: death by exsanguination." Highly original and visceral, O'Reilly's book announces itself like a newborn baby straight from the womb: with a guttural cry that abounds with possibility.

Straight Out of Lewis Carroll's Trash Can: A Jonathan Tollhausler Adventure
Michael J. Rumpf
Spielplatz Novelties, $14.99 paper (386p) ISBN 978-0-615-39808-2
Girls are hot and studies are not, in this rollicking, good-humored idyll of 1983 undergraduate life at Rudyard University. College slacker Jonathan Tollhausler is content to idle away his time while he focuses on the important elements of student life: improving his luck with the opposite sex. His like-minded pals engage in card games, bull sessions, frat parties, and bemoaning the pointlessness of college. Rumpf's dialogue is witty, and bedroom farce is as delightful as it is in Shakespeare. Contrasts between student antics and stern security guards infuse an occasional grim note, but any clouds on the horizon are usually related to romantic spats. When love interest Diane Curzewski finally commits to Tollhausler, she has been as delighted by the affable misfit as the reader will surely be.

Stray Cats
Geoffrey Mehl
Pennystone, $14.95 paper (332p) ISBN 978-0-615-64279-6
Mehl pits three outcast ex-intelligence agents against the CIA in this dynamic if thinly characterized espionage adventure. Set up for execution, aging spook and safecracker Tommy Kane finds refuge in Belize. There, he links up with former KGB man Sergei Yenchenko and ex-British operative Ian Wells, and decides to fight back. Mehl's thriller evokes both the sense of a world gone wrong and the Wild West image of determined loners facing down the bad guys. Unfortunately, the clipped British-isms given to Wells and the clumsy, Russian-laden English of Yenchenko are hackneyed. Despite an unconvincing resolution, fans of the genre will be more than rewarded by the book's wealth of convincing detail about flight plans, computer hacking, money games, and other dirty tricks.

The Bridge
Rebecca Rogers Maher
Promised Land, $1.99 e-book (79p) ISBN 978-1-62539-048-6
Henry and Christa meet under peculiar circumstances—they've both climbed to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge intending to kill themselves. Henry suffers from clinical depression, and Christa was recently diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer. They each resolve to prevent the other from suicide with a promise to spend the whole day together, doing their favorite things in New York City. They each go through with the plan to save the other's life. But as the day goes on, they find themselves falling in love and finding reasons to live. Maher's novella is intimate and insightful. Henry and Christa come from very different backgrounds, but their despair is palpable. Maher has a deep knowledge of New York City, and the couple's time together is full of the quiet adventures of city natives, making New York an equally important character in the gripping and touching story.

The Prodigal
Michael Hurley
Ragbagger, $14.99 paper (358p) ISBN 978-1-4826-9427-7
Aidan Sharpe is a lawyer whose small mistake costs him his career. He goes to Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to try to regain some sense of self, and meets and rescues a young woman named Molly, and forms a friendship with a priest, Marcus, who struggles with addiction. Marcus discovers a boat, named Cygnet, and the boat's appearance leads him to believe that it may be a legendary ship called the Prodigal. His interest in the ship also attracts the attention of colleagues in the Vatican, who believe the ship may hold a sacred relic. Hurley's novel weaves in many elements of law, sailing, and Roman Catholicism, and ties them together well. While the allegories are a bit heavy-handed and characters are simplistic at times , the author's attention to detail and the pleasures of his well-crafted prose compensate.

The Rule of Ranging—Book One: Eclipse of the Midnight Sun
Timothy M. Kestrel
Timothy Kestrel Arts & Media, $32.95 hardcover (315p) ISBN 978-0-9886660-0-9
In Kestrel's kickoff to this historical series, it is 1854 and elderly Mr. Morton tells journalist Henry Raymond about the adventures of an orphaned teen named Finn, recounting a life—presumably Morton's own—full of adventures, wandering, and fighting. Set during the 18th century, the story unfolds as young Finn's initial military zeal leads to service in a series of battles in the New World. The horrors of war are a familiar coming-of-age theme, but Finn seems to carom from one encounter to another with little character growth. While the well-researched and evocative use of historical figures provides a dignified patina to the novel's events, the stilted dialogue and preachy messages of Finn's friends and associates provide a nearly fatal distraction from the vivid depictions of battle.

The Six Train to Wisconsin
Kourtney Heintz
CreateSpace, $15.99 paper (433) ISBN 978-1-4818-8457-0
Kai is a telepath working as a social worker in Manhattan. Her husband, Oliver, has devoted much of his life to keeping her from crippling depression and suicidal thoughts. Desperate for relief, Oliver drugs Kai and takes her to his tiny hometown of Butternut, Wis., in hopes that the quieter environment will let her reconnect with herself and quiet the voices she hears as a result of her powers. But things don't work out according to plan in Butternut, as Oliver's past threatens to derail his and Kai's future. Readers will be hooked by Kai's special powers and the ways in which they make her life difficult. Oliver's kidnapping of Kai is compelling, though some aspects of plot are tied together in contrived ways. Heintz resists clear resolution at the end, which may be frustrating to some while delighful to others.

The Thieves of Stonewood: Book I of the Stonewood Trilogy
Jeremy Hayes
Northlord, $12.99 paper (312p) ISBN 978-0-9918642-0-1
Stonewood is a rich city with a thriving criminal underground full of thieves and sneaky assassins. But these aren't your run of the mill thugs. They are members of a secret society of low-lives known as the Thieves Guild, and they don't let just anyone into their ranks—just ask Harcourt, a man who desperately wants membership in order to save the love of his life. In this fantasy romp, Hayes's characters are well developed and his plotting intricate and entertaining. Hayes's prose is simple and straightforward and the result is a thrilling tale of love, loss, and the need to fit in.

Adventures in Filmmaking
Peter Rowe
Pinewood Independent Publishing, $15.95 paper (273p) ISBN 978-0-9918625-0-4
Peter Rowe has been a professional filmmaker for decades. He has traveled the world and filmed in the most extreme conditions. As he spins the story of his career, he takes readers from his youthful experiences with film in the 1960s and a remake of Treasure Island with Jack Palance to his recent extreme weather documentary filmmaking. Rowe also discusses the opportunities afforded filmmakers now—and through it all, he maintains his grace and gentlemanly discretion. For readers familiar with his work, or film enthusiasts in general, this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the process of filmmaking. As a narrative, however, it suffers from chronological jumps, an unclear structure, and repetition. This might be distracting, but Rowe's diverting anecdotes serve as balance.

All The Wild Children: A Noir Memoir
Josh Stallings
Snubnose, $15.99 paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-4826-0191-6
Josh Stallings has lived a hard life: his father was abusive and left his family; his mother was absent much of the time; he and his older brother, Lark, get into drugs and crime. As Josh grows older, he meets Erika and they fall in love and get married. Erika becomes pregnant and they have two sons. Josh struggles to make it as a film editor in Hollywood and feed his family, while grappling with his own addictions to cocaine and alcohol. As his sons grow older, Josh struggles further—his elder son is disabled and his younger son has severe drug problems of his own. Stallings's memoir opens with a focus on the older son, but quickly delves into his own checkered past. The author vacillates between being unrepentant for his past behavior and feeling tormented that his choices adversely affected his sons' chances at happiness. Stallings is clearly a skilled writer, but his family members are not fully developed, and this makes it difficult for readers to invest in them as characters. Still the author's bravado, honesty, and emotion are present throughout.

China CMO: Best Practices in Marketing Effectiveness and Efficiency
Greg Paull and Goh Shu Fen
Signal8, $27.96 hardcover (350p) ISBN 978-988-15542-3-9
In a wide-ranging if bland review of marketing business in China, Goh and Paull offer insights from top marketing officials for overseas companies about approaches that have worked there. Predictably, they emphasize the need for agility and adaptability, and that regional, linguistic, and cultural factors militate against any one-size-fits-all approach. While dramatic predictions about population growth and growing consumer wealth lure overseas firms, such well-known controversies as mandated technology transfer point to the need for a cautious approach. Goh and Paull avoid mapping out an uncertain future, but note that the rush of foreign competitors to do business in China creates its own imperative to act now or lose out. Their observations include the banal, the practical, and the amusing, and the case studies are useful.

Dream Home: What You Need to Know Before You Buy
Anthony Alofsin
CreateSpace, $7.99 paper (150p) ISBN 978-1-4848-0215-1
Alofsin provides a chatty, informed look at the tension between the persistent goal of home ownership and the gap between dreams and possibilities. The growing ethnic diversity of U.S. home buyers hasn't changed the traditions that heavily shape home buyers' dreams. Alofsin suggests that developers focus on cosmetic, big-dollar issues like landscaping and ambience to add variety and appeal to a limited range of basic models. His focus on newly built homes and his architectural background allow him to illuminate emerging concerns in home construction, among them technology, energy efficiency, and water availability. While some of Alofsin's reflections verge on the obvious, he also offers insights into the mutating housing market. Potential home buyers will find his suggestions about how to define a dream house worth pondering, and find reassurance in his belief that the quality of U.S. homes is improving at all price levels.

Essays for My Father: A Legacy of Passion, Politics, and Patriotism in Small-Town America
Richard Muti
Richard Muti, $17.95 paper (216p) ISBN 978-0-9891482-0-7
In this wide-ranging compilation of newspaper opinion pieces, Muti strives to provide provocative insights into national issues, his Italian-American antecedents, and New Jersey politics. The dedication to his father hints at Muti's belief in the greatness of ordinary Americans, and that spirit carries over to his essays. He skewers both the politicians who are convinced they have the answers to every problem and those who lack the stamina to take unpopular stances, while also challenging apathetic and self-serving citizens to take an active interest in civic doings. In one essay, he asserts that national service, military or alternative, should be demanded of all young Americans, a sacrifice that is part of American tradition. Muti's tone ranges from outraged to humorous, depending on his subject matter, and his well-rounded background provides a strong basis for his opinions. The specifics of Muti's writing are less interesting than his belief in the obligation of citizens to take action to further opportunity and his faith that the gadfly's bite may prove invigorating to the public.

Funeral in a Feminine Dress: Depravity Reborn as Virtue
MJ Burke Sr
Michael Burke, $11.95 paper (267p) ISBN 978-0-9890287-1-4
MJ Burke was raised by severely troubled parents. They began their relationship with an unexpected pregnancy and stayed together for tumultuous decades. His father was emotionally and physically abusive toward his mother, and she desperately tried to get him to love her while she was busy drinking herself to death. When MJ was in third grade, his mother was brutally assaulted coming home from the bar one night. MJ witnessed this, and his mother swore him to silence. Burke's memoir is often unreflective and meandering, and this collection of memories of a dysfunctional family and disturbing childhood would be more palatable if the author offered cohesive themes or more self-awareness.

Get Your Child to the Top: How Do Children Succeed Today
Megan Lisa Jones
Laerrn, $13.99 paper (261p) ISBN 978-0-615-76334-7
Jones is a concerned parent with a background in finance, not education—something she makes clear from the beginning of her book. However, she provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies and tactics that modern parents can use to address the subpar American educational system and give their children the ability to get ahead in a challenging global economy. She does this through a mixture of interviews with teenagers, an exploration of educational theories, and her own assessments as a parent. While Jones offers many opinions on educational achievement and success, her advice sometimes misses the mark. While some of her suggestions, e.g., drawing children into enriching activities at home and focusing on digital literacy, will be useful to most children, others will likely be helpful only to privileged children and impractical for low-income families.

Guatemala Journey Among the Ixil Maya
Susanna Badgley Place
Susanna Badgley Place, $24.95 paper (240p) ISBN 978-0-9884876-0-4
Place effectively limns the culture and history of the Ixil Maya, a people whose homeland, half the size of Rhode Island, lies in a remote, mountainous section of northern Guatemala. She amply details their ancient importance in Mayan civilization, the violence of Spanish colonialism, and the tragic decades of civil war from 1960 to 1996. Even after the Peace Accords of 1996, Ixil culture remains largely unappreciated even within Guatemala. Place's review of history reflects her conviction that travelers, possibly in contrast to tourists, find enduring rewards from learning, respecting, and sharing what matters most to the local people. She forcefully argues the importance of sustaining the endangered traditional Ixil culture and language, while avoiding quaint antiquarianism. Her photographs and insights from repeat visits provide practical tips on exploring the little-known region. Intrepid, independent-minded travelers will find her descriptions alluring; her work itself provides a stimulating glimpse of an alternative to well-worn destinations. Anyone tempted by the undiscovered riches of the road less taken will be intrigued by Place's passionate call to assist the Ixil people in developing a sustainable future and preserving their traditions.

Middle Way: Freedom & Progressive Social Change Since World War II
Alan Rabinowitz
Quansoo, $18 paper (226p) ISBN 978-1-4819-4458-8
Urban economist Rabinowitz details how a political and social "middle way" works to provide Americans with civil rights, liberties, and a mixed economy that strikes a balance between unbridled capitalism and socialism. The author makes a convincing case that this middle way grew out of the New Deal and President Roosevelt's Four Freedoms doctrine, and explains the current gulf between right and left, while offering political and economic solutions. Rabinowitz presciently observes that our decade may be as the years in which the New Deal were implemented. His conclusion that American society today is more free and exciting than the post-New Deal era cannot be gainsaid.

Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook
Joan Porte
Soulsign, $24.95 paper (296p) ISBN 978-0-9788535-1-8
Each zodiac sign—from Capricorn to Sagittarius—gets a chapter filled with recipes and cooking tips in Porte's astrologically themed cookbook, but the real stars are spiffed-up versions of deeply satisfying comfort foods like slow-cooked wine and Worcestershire sauce–spiked Brunswick stew, carb-rich noodle kugel, and decadent icebox cake laden with chocolate pudding, bananas, rum, and whipped cream. Some of the best dishes are rooted in Porte's Italian-American heritage, among them a crustless ricotta pie, pastina with mint pesto, and sausage and pepper pasta. Although readers unfamiliar with sun signs may benefit less from the author's "astrological gastronomy," Porte's breezy, humorous prose, references to the astrological signs of everyone from Mother Teresa and Madonna to Bill Clinton and Joseph Stalin, easy-to-follow recipes, and celestial renderings of classic dishes are undeniably appetizing.

Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity
Catana Tully
Completion Enterprises, $14.39 paper (263p) ISBN 978-1-4791-1469-6
Born in 1940, Catana Tully grew up in Guatemala. While she is black, she was raised by a white German couple who—while loving her and giving her every advantage—never formally adopted her. As she grew older, Tully was forced to confront her own privilege and alienation. Additionally, she worked to explore her past, reaching out to her biological mother's other children to learn about her mother, her father, and the strange circumstances surrounding her parenting. Tully, an able storyteller, relates an interesting, enlightening story, especially given the evolution of racial and cultural attitudes she witnessed during her lifetime.

The Depth of Grace: Finding Hope at Rock Bottom
J. Bronson Haley
WestBow, $22.95 paper (287p) ISBN 978-1-4497-1046-0
The leap from teenage alcoholism, drug addiction, and burglary to receiving divine grace might seem extreme, but Haley assures readers that God helped him make it. His depiction of his misspent youth in Shreveport, La., alternates vivid scenes of fights, thefts, and drunken joyrides with biblical analysis. While the pattern of unregenerate sinner transformed into devout believer by God's grace is not uncommon, Haley spares little detail in recreating his misdeeds, suggesting that the author, despite denials, takes some pride in his strayings. Haley's accounts of his faults and relapse even after being saved, on January 15, 1997, adds meat to his declaration that sin is inevitable. His admission that he remains a little wild may lead some to wonder if his reformation reflects divine grace or the workings of an addictive personality.

Nonfiction

Adventures in Filmmaking
Peter Rowe
Pinewood Independent Publishing, $15.95 paper (273p) ISBN 978-0-9918625-0-4
Peter Rowe has been a professional filmmaker for decades. He has traveled the world and filmed in the most extreme conditions. As he spins the story of his career, he takes readers from his youthful experiences with film in the 1960s and a remake of Treasure Island with Jack Palance to his recent extreme weather documentary filmmaking. Rowe also discusses the opportunities afforded filmmakers now—and through it all, he maintains his grace and gentlemanly discretion. For readers familiar with his work, or film enthusiasts in general, this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the process of filmmaking. As a narrative, however, it suffers from chronological jumps, an unclear structure, and repetition. This might be distracting, but Rowe's diverting anecdotes serve as balance.

All The Wild Children: A Noir Memoir
Josh Stallings
Snubnose, $15.99 paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-4826-0191-6
Josh Stallings has lived a hard life: his father was abusive and left his family; his mother was absent much of the time; he and his older brother, Lark, get into drugs and crime. As Josh grows older, he meets Erika and they fall in love and get married. Erika becomes pregnant and they have two sons. Josh struggles to make it as a film editor in Hollywood and feed his family, while grappling with his own addictions to cocaine and alcohol. As his sons grow older, Josh struggles further—his elder son is disabled and his younger son has severe drug problems of his own. Stallings's memoir opens with a focus on the older son, but quickly delves into his own checkered past. The author vacillates between being unrepentant for his past behavior and feeling tormented that his choices adversely affected his sons' chances at happiness. Stallings is clearly a skilled writer, but his family members are not fully developed, and this makes it difficult for readers to invest in them as characters. Still the author's bravado, honesty, and emotion are present throughout.

China CMO: Best Practices in Marketing Effectiveness and Efficiency
Greg Paull and Goh Shu Fen
Signal8, $27.96 hardcover (350p) ISBN 978-988-15542-3-9
In a wide-ranging if bland review of marketing business in China, Goh and Paull offer insights from top marketing officials for overseas companies about approaches that have worked there. Predictably, they emphasize the need for agility and adaptability, and that regional, linguistic, and cultural factors militate against any one-size-fits-all approach. While dramatic predictions about population growth and growing consumer wealth lure overseas firms, such well-known controversies as mandated technology transfer point to the need for a cautious approach. Goh and Paull avoid mapping out an uncertain future, but note that the rush of foreign competitors to do business in China creates its own imperative to act now or lose out. Their observations include the banal, the practical, and the amusing, and the case studies are useful.

Dream Home: What You Need to Know Before You Buy
Anthony Alofsin
CreateSpace, $7.99 paper (150p) ISBN 978-1-4848-0215-1
Alofsin provides a chatty, informed look at the tension between the persistent goal of home ownership and the gap between dreams and possibilities. The growing ethnic diversity of U.S. home buyers hasn't changed the traditions that heavily shape home buyers' dreams. Alofsin suggests that developers focus on cosmetic, big-dollar issues like landscaping and ambience to add variety and appeal to a limited range of basic models. His focus on newly built homes and his architectural background allow him to illuminate emerging concerns in home construction, among them technology, energy efficiency, and water availability. While some of Alofsin's reflections verge on the obvious, he also offers insights into the mutating housing market. Potential home buyers will find his suggestions about how to define a dream house worth pondering, and find reassurance in his belief that the quality of U.S. homes is improving at all price levels.

Essays for My Father: A Legacy of Passion, Politics, and Patriotism in Small-Town America
Richard Muti
Richard Muti, $17.95 paper (216p) ISBN 978-0-9891482-0-7
In this wide-ranging compilation of newspaper opinion pieces, Muti strives to provide provocative insights into national issues, his Italian-American antecedents, and New Jersey politics. The dedication to his father hints at Muti's belief in the greatness of ordinary Americans, and that spirit carries over to his essays. He skewers both the politicians who are convinced they have the answers to every problem and those who lack the stamina to take unpopular stances, while also challenging apathetic and self-serving citizens to take an active interest in civic doings. In one essay, he asserts that national service, military or alternative, should be demanded of all young Americans, a sacrifice that is part of American tradition. Muti's tone ranges from outraged to humorous, depending on his subject matter, and his well-rounded background provides a strong basis for his opinions. The specifics of Muti's writing are less interesting than his belief in the obligation of citizens to take action to further opportunity and his faith that the gadfly's bite may prove invigorating to the public.

Funeral in a Feminine Dress: Depravity Reborn as Virtue
MJ Burke Sr
Michael Burke, $11.95 paper (267p) ISBN 978-0-9890287-1-4
MJ Burke was raised by severely troubled parents. They began their relationship with an unexpected pregnancy and stayed together for tumultuous decades. His father was emotionally and physically abusive toward his mother, and she desperately tried to get him to love her while she was busy drinking herself to death. When MJ was in third grade, his mother was brutally assaulted coming home from the bar one night. MJ witnessed this, and his mother swore him to silence. Burke's memoir is often unreflective and meandering, and this collection of memories of a dysfunctional family and disturbing childhood would be more palatable if the author offered cohesive themes or more self-awareness.

Get Your Child to the Top: How Do Children Succeed Today
Megan Lisa Jones
Laerrn, $13.99 paper (261p) ISBN 978-0-615-76334-7
Jones is a concerned parent with a background in finance, not education—something she makes clear from the beginning of her book. However, she provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies and tactics that modern parents can use to address the subpar American educational system and give their children the ability to get ahead in a challenging global economy. She does this through a mixture of interviews with teenagers, an exploration of educational theories, and her own assessments as a parent. While Jones offers many opinions on educational achievement and success, her advice sometimes misses the mark. While some of her suggestions, e.g., drawing children into enriching activities at home and focusing on digital literacy, will be useful to most children, others will likely be helpful only to privileged children and impractical for low-income families.

Guatemala Journey Among the Ixil Maya
Susanna Badgley Place
Susanna Badgley Place, $24.95 paper (240p) ISBN 978-0-9884876-0-4
Place effectively limns the culture and history of the Ixil Maya, a people whose homeland, half the size of Rhode Island, lies in a remote, mountainous section of northern Guatemala. She amply details their ancient importance in Mayan civilization, the violence of Spanish colonialism, and the tragic decades of civil war from 1960 to 1996. Even after the Peace Accords of 1996, Ixil culture remains largely unappreciated even within Guatemala. Place's review of history reflects her conviction that travelers, possibly in contrast to tourists, find enduring rewards from learning, respecting, and sharing what matters most to the local people. She forcefully argues the importance of sustaining the endangered traditional Ixil culture and language, while avoiding quaint antiquarianism. Her photographs and insights from repeat visits provide practical tips on exploring the little-known region. Intrepid, independent-minded travelers will find her descriptions alluring; her work itself provides a stimulating glimpse of an alternative to well-worn destinations. Anyone tempted by the undiscovered riches of the road less taken will be intrigued by Place's passionate call to assist the Ixil people in developing a sustainable future and preserving their traditions.

Middle Way: Freedom & Progressive Social Change Since World War II
Alan Rabinowitz
Quansoo, $18 paper (226p) ISBN 978-1-4819-4458-8
Urban economist Rabinowitz details how a political and social "middle way" works to provide Americans with civil rights, liberties, and a mixed economy that strikes a balance between unbridled capitalism and socialism. The author makes a convincing case that this middle way grew out of the New Deal and President Roosevelt's Four Freedoms doctrine, and explains the current gulf between right and left, while offering political and economic solutions. Rabinowitz presciently observes that our decade may be as the years in which the New Deal were implemented. His conclusion that American society today is more free and exciting than the post-New Deal era cannot be gainsaid.

Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook
Joan Porte
Soulsign, $24.95 paper (296p) ISBN 978-0-9788535-1-8
Each zodiac sign—from Capricorn to Sagittarius—gets a chapter filled with recipes and cooking tips in Porte's astrologically themed cookbook, but the real stars are spiffed-up versions of deeply satisfying comfort foods like slow-cooked wine and Worcestershire sauce–spiked Brunswick stew, carb-rich noodle kugel, and decadent icebox cake laden with chocolate pudding, bananas, rum, and whipped cream. Some of the best dishes are rooted in Porte's Italian-American heritage, among them a crustless ricotta pie, pastina with mint pesto, and sausage and pepper pasta. Although readers unfamiliar with sun signs may benefit less from the author's "astrological gastronomy," Porte's breezy, humorous prose, references to the astrological signs of everyone from Mother Teresa and Madonna to Bill Clinton and Joseph Stalin, easy-to-follow recipes, and celestial renderings of classic dishes are undeniably appetizing.

Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity
Catana Tully
Completion Enterprises, $14.39 paper (263p) ISBN 978-1-4791-1469-6
Born in 1940, Catana Tully grew up in Guatemala. While she is black, she was raised by a white German couple who—while loving her and giving her every advantage—never formally adopted her. As she grew older, Tully was forced to confront her own privilege and alienation. Additionally, she worked to explore her past, reaching out to her biological mother's other children to learn about her mother, her father, and the strange circumstances surrounding her parenting. Tully, an able storyteller, relates an interesting, enlightening story, especially given the evolution of racial and cultural attitudes she witnessed during her lifetime.

The Depth of Grace: Finding Hope at Rock Bottom
J. Bronson Haley
WestBow, $22.95 paper (287p) ISBN 978-1-4497-1046-0
The leap from teenage alcoholism, drug addiction, and burglary to receiving divine grace might seem extreme, but Haley assures readers that God helped him make it. His depiction of his misspent youth in Shreveport, La., alternates vivid scenes of fights, thefts, and drunken joyrides with biblical analysis. While the pattern of unregenerate sinner transformed into devout believer by God's grace is not uncommon, Haley spares little detail in recreating his misdeeds, suggesting that the author, despite denials, takes some pride in his strayings. Haley's accounts of his faults and relapse even after being saved, on January 15, 1997, adds meat to his declaration that sin is inevitable. His admission that he remains a little wild may lead some to wonder if his reformation reflects divine grace or the workings of an addictive personality.

The Missing Pages of the Parent Handbook
Christina Brockett
Stella Maris, $14.95 paper (248p) ISBN 978-0-9889379-1-8
Brockett provides refreshingly easy-going, if relatively insubstantial, insights about the difficult art of child rearing. Writing essays about her own parenting difficulties, she came to believe that nearly all parents feel frustration at some point and solicited contributions from parents across the country. Her purpose is to offer a range of shared experiences, rather than pointers on baby burping or feeding. Among the topics addressed is parental dysfunction, as well as predicaments facing young children and teens. Brockett also offers an abundance of humorous stories and comes to the conclusion that "it really is all worth it." The identification of contributors by first names only reinforces the author's message that this work is by, and for, everyman and everywoman. Readers looking for shared experiences or flashes of insight may find some wisdom in Brockett's collection of essays; those seeking more profound guidance on filling out their own missing pages may need to look elsewhere.

The White Working Class Today: Who They Are, How They Think and How Progressives Can Regain Their Support
Andrew Levison
Democratic Strategist, $12 paper (302p) ISBN 978-0-692-01979-5
In the wake of the 2012 presidential election, Levinson makes a convincing argument that—despite claims to the contrary from some political strategists—the Democratic Party still needs the support of the white working class. In presenting his case that this portion of the electorate is still vital to the success of progressives, Levinson offers up a host of facts and figures while shattering stereotypes of the white working class as a diminished and largely conservative group. Regardless of one's political affiliation, Levison's thesis is fascinating and well articulated. His book raises important questions about the future of American politics, while also offering useful insights on the distinctions between media stereotypes and real-world complexity and between self-referential political pros and those genuinely concerned with common problems.

Children’s Books

Yawn!
Keith Greenstein
CreateSpace, $12 paper (28p) ISBN 978-1-4848-5170-8
Greenstein, a copywriter by trade, masquerades as an ally to young sleep-dodgers, warning them to avoid yawn-inducing activities while giving them a tour of those very things. A wide-eyed blond boy stands in for readers in Greenstein's illustrations, which feel like an ode to vintage 1950s cartoons. At bedtime, the boy is seen lying awake in bed (his thought bubble displays a ramshackle pile of fleecy sheep), not that he's complaining: "Heck, you'll stay up till dawn!/ All you have to do/ Is make sure you don't yawwwwwwwwwwn." The singsong verse is built around similarly drawn-out words, inviting readers to chime in (and perhaps triggering an inadvertent yawn or two): "Steer clear of creatures/ Like lobster or prawwwwwwwwn." A few jokes seem more aimed at adults than children—"Don't listen to podcasts/ About the pecaaaaaaaan" reads one page, while a scene about sitting for a portrait includes visual winks to both Titanic and The Family Guy. But Greenstein shows he's not above poking fun at himself, too: "And last but not least, to stop sleep coming on.../ Don't read books like this one/ 'cause they make kids Yawwwwwwwwn!" Ages 3–6.

The Dragons of Pan Gu
Kevin White, illus. by Rex White
Chimeric Press (www.chimericpress.com), $15.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-9847122-6-7
The White siblings (Chasing Watermelons) offer a somewhat esoteric story based on Chinese creation myth. After solitary Pan Gu, who "walked in the void of the heavens," shapes the Earth, he realizes that it "will need a source of power... or it will not grow." Pan Gu, a round figure sketched in white against the murky backdrop of the skies, forms a black dragon that breathes frost and snow. Since Earth remains barren, Pan Gu then creates a white dragon whose "breath was smoke and fire," and the dragons engage in a struggle for control, ending in a yin and yang–type balance that allows the Earth to flourish. The narrative itself grapples with clarity and obscurity (when creating the Earth, Pan Gu "felt the forming of it in his mind, so he labored through a thought and a time, and before the second time could pass he reached into the void and formed the seed." Happily, the Whites close their story on a more intimate note, as a Chinese man and his grandson discuss the "wisdom in the balance" of opposites,
including young and old. Ages 3–6.

After Isaac
Avra Wing
Olinville Press, $8.99 paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-615-66946-5
A year after the death of his younger brother, Isaac, 14-year-old Aaron and his family are still in pain. Between therapy, reconnecting with estranged friends, and getting to know a girl named Emma, Aaron is slowly adjusting to life without Isaac, but the announcement that his parents plan to adopt a baby from China sends him into a tailspin. A chance meeting with Kim, a homeless teenager, offers Aaron a chance to reach out, but his attempts may not turn out as planned when Kim opens his eyes to a darker side of life. Wing (Angie, I Says) delivers an emotionally complex story of life, love, grief, and recovery as Aaron gradually accepts the changes in his family. The author also skillfully tackles topics of foreign adoptions and racism, as Aaron faces the idea and ramifications of having a Chinese sister. Though at times overwrought, the narrative generally stays on track as Wing delves into complicated material. If anything, the page count may be a little slim for the multiple themes and threads running through this story. Ages 12–up.

The Carnelian Legacy
Cheryl Koevoet
Thomas Nelson/WestBow, $22.95 paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-4497-8089-0
Debut author Koevoet presents a predictable tale of romance and adventure in this story of a young woman who inadvertently travels to an unfamiliar world. Still reeling from her father's death, almost 18-year-old Marisa MacCallum is caught off guard when a vortex takes her from Earth to the realm of Carnelia. There, she finds friendship and protection with Darian, a handsome but unavailable nobleman engaged in a political struggle for the throne. Marisa is soon caught between Darian and the ruthless Savino, both contenders for the crown with claims on her heart. As Marisa's situation threatens to overwhelm her, she attempts to chart her own path, unaware of the destiny that lies before her. The plot twists, romantic beats, and narrative flow too often tend toward generic, and the author glosses over details of the Carnelian setting in favor of Marisa's existential angst and emotional turmoil, as well as her will-they, won't-they relationship with Darian. For her part, Marisa is a woefully passive heroine, and the plot unfolds in a too-convenient manner; a sequel, The Carnelian Tyranny, is planned. Ages 12–up.

The Hissing Tree
A.M. Winter
CreateSpace, $12.98 paper (362p) ISBN 978-1-4637-2797-0
In this somewhat meandering coming-of-age tale, first-time author Winter draws on childhood experience to paint a vivid picture of life in 1952 Southern Rhodesia (what is now Zimbabwe). Over the course of a summer, 11-year-old tomboy Nicole "Nick" Doughty chronicles her experiences, which range from innocently entertaining (playing with her friends and struggling for control of their four-person gang) to nearly traumatic (being assaulted by several older boys). Along the way, she reluctantly confronts her oncoming adolescence, handles matters of life and death, witnesses the casual racism and social injustice of the era, and obsesses over a missing female journalist. While the novel's setting is authentic and the narrative voice engaging, it runs long and can come across as more episodic than cohesive, despite several underlying themes that include equality, racism, and life's innate unfairness. The blend of idyllic childhood escapades and brutal reality evokes an older style of storytelling, akin to John D. Fitzgerald's Great Brain series, though some readers may be daunted by the heavy use of slang and native terms (defined in an opening glossary). Ages 14–up.