Books Set in North America: American South: St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee

Marching to Zion, by Mary Glickman (2013)

This historical novel delves into the struggles of Jews and African-Americans in the early half of the 20th Century.  The book begins when Mags Preacher, a young African-American woman, leaves her home in the rural countryside and moves to St. Louis, Missouri.  She has dreams of learning the beauty trade so she can open a salon back in her hometown.  The first person she encounters upon arriving in St. Louis is Magnus Bailey.  The only job she can get is working with Mr. Fishbein, a Jewish refugee who runs a funeral home that serves the Black families in the town.

Fishbein had fled Eastern Europe amid the pogroms that killed his wife and child.  When he left Europe, he brought with him his adopted daughter, Minerva, known as Minnie.  She had lost her family in the violence against Jews.  Seeing her family killed experiences as a very young girl caused her to be a very troubled young woman after arriving in America.

Mags is happily working at the funeral home and eventually marries George McCallum, the manager, and they live in a small apartment attached to the funeral home.  After the violent race riots in St. Louis in 1917, Fishbein’s funeral home is totally destroyed.  Fishbein and Mags barely escape with their lives, but George is killed.  Mags then disappears from the story.

The novel moves from Mags Preacher to the very troubled love story between Minnie, a fiery red-head Magnus.  Interracial relationships were criminal offenses at the time.  Fishbein, Minnie and Magnus move from St. Louis to Memphis to looking for a safer place to live.  The novel describes life for Jews and African-Americans during the Depression through the mid-1930s.  Fishbein realizes that there is no safe place for Jews in America, especially for his troubled daughter and her lover, Magnus.

After I finished the book, I realized that Mags Preacher, the young woman at the beginning of the story had completely disappeared.  What happened to her?

Read: August 8, 2023

3.5 Stars

Books Set in North America: Minneapolis, Missouri, USA

First Case of Beers, by P.M. LaRose (2014)

This mystery novel is narrated by James Biersovich, a former sports writer turned security chief at a high-scale department store in Minneapolis.  It is just weeks before Christmas and Jim, known as Beers by his friends, is doing double-duty as Santa at the department store.  The year is 1999 and Y2K looms in the near future.

While on Santa duty, he is called to investigate strange going’s on at the store ~ the window display manikins have been reposed into suggestive poses, as is a manikin in women’s lingerie.  When a customer may have been poisoned tasting a candy sample in the confectionary department, Beers thinks the mischief may be more destructive.

I am not a fan of this genre.  It was written in the noir style of the 1940s detective novel.  I read it only because it was selected by one of my book groups and was written by the spouse of an acquaintance.  This is the first book in a series.  I doubt I will read any other books in this series.

Read:  October 20, 2018

2.5 Stars

Books Set in the United States: Missouri

A Good American, by Alex George (2012)

I loved this novel, which is a saga of a family that immigrated from Germany and ended up in a small rural town in Missouri in the early 1900s.  Frederick and Jetta left their native Germany when Jette became pregnant and her parents disapproved of her future husband.  Planning on heading to New York, they boarded a ship bound for New Orleans.  Once they arrive they are encouraged to head north, up the Mississippi River.  They ended up Beatrice, Missouri when Jetta goes into labor and gives birth to Joseph.  His sister, Rosa, is born a few years later.

The novel follows the lives of Frederick and Jette.  When the United States entered World War I, Frederick enlisted and went to fight against his native land.  The novel follows the lives of Frederick and Jette, their children, Joseph and Rosa, then moves on to the next generation.

The novel is narrated by James, the second son of Joseph and Cora.  He retells the events of his and his brothers’ lives, including their religious crises, their friends and tribulations.  This part of the novel has some very funny moments.

In the end, there are family secrets that are revealed.  Some twists in the plot I never saw coming.

5 Stars

Read:  October 11, 2014