Stan Barnes says he finds the Golden Rule just about adequate and anything else he needs to know, he learned in kindergarten – share your stuff, clean up your own mess, etc., and I suppose these were nice life-lessons for him to share. Unfortunately, all I had asked him was whether he was going to finish his French fries. We were snacking at the Copper Penny after a fascinating morning spent watching his four tires being replaced, and, fortunately, I was able to turn Stan’s thoughts from “how to lead one’s life” to “what I’ve read of late”.
Stan warned me that my readers might be a bit upset by the somewhat wonderful BROWN DOG, a novel by Jim Harrison, as it’s just about the opposite of any recent “chic lit”, romance or “woke” literature currently available. In fact, it’s a series of novellas (just long chapters really) about a Forty-Seven-Year-Old delinquent named Brown Dog – BD for short – who is possibly of American Indian descent and who spends his time in rural Upper Peninsula Michigan drinking, carousing and playing just on the edge of the local fish, game, and morality standards. BD is also somewhat of a naturalist and a philosopher and is often hilarious. Stan definitely recommends the book to anyone who isn’t offended by numerous descriptions of sexual encounters and a main character who initially rates all women by breast size and butt shape. Like he said. “You’ve been warned.”
I asked if Stan could suggest any books which might repulse fewer of my readers, and he posited, since we were on somewhat of an American Indian theme, that folks might appreciate KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann. This is the true story of the murders of the Osage Tribes people who in the Eighteen-Hundreds had been forced onto smaller and smaller parcels of land in Oklahoma only to discover huge oil reserves under that very same real estate. The tribe became extremely rich, and, as a result, also became targets of the greedy white folk in charge of the territory. The novel has already been made into a film by Martin Scorcese and has, as they say, the early Oscar Buzz.
Stan said, if one’s looking for lighter fare, there’s also DIRTY THIRTY, Janet Evanovich’s latest Stephanie Plum mystery. Those are usually amusing. But if my readers really want a kick, Stan says they should try BROWN DOG. He promises it won’t bite.
If you know of a book Stan might like let THE BREEZE know at editor@mountainbreeze.online
