The Houseful Reads: A Good American

Look at this! Two books in one month. I have personal reasons for staying so busy, but I’m not quite ready to speak on them, so what better way to throw the scent then to talk literature?

A Good American is a novel by Alex George, about the Meisenheimer family set in Beatrice, Missouri. It is told from the point of view of the grandson James. He gives insight about his grandparents coming to America from Germany and how they literally strive to be Good Americans.

This novel has a bit of everything, food, music, and history lessons all balled up into one emotional dip after another. I found that I got a little misty eyed because of thinking about how I remember my sister in the wake of her death, and how I literally can place music and food with memories of her.

Who knew that reading this novel would allow me to for once to grieve in a way that left me with more smiles than tears, and a desire to really get her small history written down in a more collective way.

This read took me a little over two full days to finish because of little ones wanting to be paid attention to (the best thing) and dinners that needed to be fixed. I did realize though, in the midst of being interrupted, I was in fact creating the same types of memories that James rehashed for us about his grandparents, Jette and Frederick. I sure hope that my grandchildren will be amazed by stories of me and their grandfather Shomari long from now, and will continue to pass those stories on to the following generations.

For once, I’ve found a book that’s so deeply rooted in family and the regular ups and downs of being in one that hits close to home.

You can join me in discussion on BlogHer and tell us how the book made you feel too!

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.