A Good American
by George, Alex
- Used
- as new
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- As New/As New
- ISBN 10
- 039915759X
- ISBN 13
- 9780399157592
- Seller
-
Grottoes, Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
An uplifting novel about the families we create and the places we call home. It is 1904. When Frederick and Jette must flee her disapproving mother, where better to go than America, the land of the new? Originally set to board a boat to New York, at the last minute, they take one destined for New Orleans instead (" What's the difference? They're both new "), and later find themselves, more by chance than by design, in the small town of Beatrice, Missouri. Not speaking a word of English, they embark on their new life together. Beatrice is populated with unforgettable characters: a jazz trumpeter from the Big Easy who cooks a mean gumbo, a teenage boy trapped in the body of a giant, a pretty schoolteacher who helps the young men in town learn about a lot more than just music, a minister who believes he has witnessed the Second Coming of Christ, and a malevolent, bicycle-riding dwarf. A Good American is narrated by Frederick and Jette's grandson, James, who, in telling his ancestors' story, comes to realize he doesn't know his own story at all. From bare-knuckle prizefighting and Prohibition to sweet barbershop harmonies, the Kennedy assassination, and beyond, James's family is caught up in the sweep of history. Each new generation discovers afresh what it means to be an American. And, in the process, Frederick and Jette's progeny sometimes discover more about themselves than they had bargained for. Poignant, funny, and heartbreaking, A Good American is a novel about being an outsider-in your country, in your hometown, and sometimes even in your own family. It is a universal story about our search for home.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Catch and Release Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 003336
- Title
- A Good American
- Author
- George, Alex
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New As New
- Jacket Condition
- As New
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 039915759X
- ISBN 13
- 9780399157592
- Publisher
- Putnam/Amy Einhorn Books
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2012
Terms of Sale
Catch and Release Books
About the Seller
Catch and Release Books
About Catch and Release Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Brodart
- Generally used to refer to a clear plastic cover that is sometimes added to the dustjacket or outside covering of a book. The...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...