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Stitches by David Small
With this stunning graphic memoir, David
Small takes readers on an unforgettable journey into the dark heart
of his tumultuous childhood in 1950s Detroit, in a coming-of-age
tale like no other.
At the age of fourteen, David awoke from a supposedly harmless
operation to discover his throat had been slashed and one of his
vocal chords removed, leaving him a virtual mute. No one had told
him that he had cancer and was expected to die. The resulting
silence was in keeping with the atmosphere of secrecy and repressed
frustration that pervaded the Small household and revealed itself in
the slamming of cupboard doors, the thumping of a punching bag, the
beating of a drum.
Believing that they were doing their best, David’s parents did just
the reverse. David’s mother held the family emotionally hostage with
her furious withdrawals, even as she kept her emotions hidden —
including from herself. His father, rarely present, was a
radiologist, and although David grew up looking at X-rays and
drawing on X-ray paper, it would be years before he discovered the
shocking consequences of his father’s faith in science.
A work of great bravery and humanity, Stitches is a gripping
and ultimately redemptive story of a man’s struggle to understand
the past and reclaim his voice.
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If you've ever felt like you
should make an effort to engage in some form of literary
scholarship, but don't want to read something your wife's book club
just finished or Oprah recommended then this is the group for you.
We think it's time men read books that don't teach us how to build
or repair something, invest in anything, or get in touch with
anyone's emotions. Instead let's read books that feature beer, high
speed car chases, defusing bombs and busting nasty villains. And
then once a month gather with the guys to discuss it at our monthly meeting which takes place the
fourth Thursday of the month at 7pm in the store.
If you would like to sign up as a book club member, please
email
David for more information or to
reserve a spot in our next discussion.
We now have a Facebook page at Blomkvist Wannabees. Join us there!
July Pick
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Last Child by
John Hart
Winner
of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Novel
Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home
and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an
irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa
vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny
finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he’d been
taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is
still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is---confident in a way
that he can never fully explain.
Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore
the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search,
but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt
has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot
for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but
when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt
has no choice but to intervene.
Then a second child goes missing...
Undeterred by Hunt’s threats or his mother’s pleas, Johnny enlists
the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild,
to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more
than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped
convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will
shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it
will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both
boys to the limit.
Traveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom, between
hopelessness and faith, The Last Child leaves all
categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of unique
power. |
