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Much is passed on from mother to daughter. Jewelry, wedding dresses, handmade quilts. It’s a song in the rousing novel “The Ballad of Laurel Springs” by Columbus author Janet Beard.
Not just a song, but a murder ballad, a dark crime story that can have centuries-old roots. Each chapter of “Laurel Springs” is named after a traditional murder ballad.
The prologue “Pretty Polly” takes place in the present when Grace Reid from Tennessee is assigned a family research project. She asks her aunt if there are any family stories, and Dee tells her about a murder that long ago inspired a song called “Pretty Polly”.
Pretty Polly is actually hundreds of years old, originally from England, and imported into the Appalachians, but Dee is certain it was a Reid ancestor who stabbed his girlfriend to death. Grace’s teacher sends her to the career counselor about her “disruptive” project, and Grace’s mother is angry with the assignment and tells Grace not to show it to her father.
The timeline then shifts to 1907, when Pearl, Grace’s great, great-great-grandmother, is a young housewife in the Tates Valley. She stands up for Violet, who teaches in the one-room schoolhouse when people call her a witch. One day Violet tells Pearl that two city women have come to build a real school and deliver books and lunch. Violet is excited, but Pearl and her husband feel patronized by women.
In 1925, Pearl’s daughter-in-law Miriam waited seven years for news of her husband, who was missing after the Second World War. When he finally shows up, he is silent about his whereabouts and does not give her a voice in his plans.
In 1942, Polly is courted by Jeremiah. Like generations before her, she has been told that Laurel Springs is haunted and has been warned to stay away, but like others, she ignores the warnings, a choice that will affect the rest of her life. In the 1970s, Polly’s daughter Sarah interacts with a hippie commune as the Tates Valley slowly turns into a tourist attraction.
Every generation of women faces betrayal and the betrayal of men. Topics such as poverty, racism, unwanted pregnancy, homophobia and drugs are accompanied by “Oh Willy, my dear, don’t kill me here, I’m not prepared to die” and “Polly, pretty Polly, you guessed right: me” me dug the best part of last night on your grave. “
The Ballad of Laurel Springs (288 pages, hardcover) is $ 27 from Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Janet Beard’s previous novel, The Atomic City Girls, was about women who secretly worked in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during World War II.
“True Stories from the Election Campaign, Volume II”
Names like Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter are famous. The names of the contributors to “True Tales from the Campaign Trail: Stories Only Political Consultants Can Tell, Volume II” cannot be. Jerry Austin, who worked on campaigns as prominent as Jesse Jackson’s 1988 presidential run, collected more than 75 colorful behind-the-scenes stories in this obsessively readable little book.
Almost a quarter of the book belongs to Raymond Strother, who Austin says “put the profession on the map”. The approximately fifty participants, who do not hesitate to name names, tell of brothels, mountains of money and vengeful lovers. Most of it is prior to the era of cell phones and the internet, but a 1974 issue where election observers challenge ballots feels the same as it does today.
True Tales From the Campaign Trail, Volume II (225 pages, softcover) is priced at $ 19.95 from the University of Akron Press. Volume I was published in 2017. Jerry Austin holds a Masters degree in Education from the University of Akron and is a retired Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
Events
Loganberry bookstore (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Cleveland writer Ali Black reads from her volume of poetry, “If It Heals At All,” Sunday 1pm. On Wednesday at 6pm, Adele Bertei, whose “Peter and the Wolves” is a brief reminder of her relationship with Cleveland musician Peter Laughner, will speak about “Why Labelle Matters” and the female vocal group of the 1960s and 70s.
Visible language books (2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland): Poets Tim Heerdink, Tony Brewer and Jason Baldinger read from their work, Sunday 1pm. On Friday at 7:30 pm Michael Routa signs “A History of Cleveland’s Public Square”.
: Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti Zooms from Russia to talk to museum curator Marcy Frumker about her book “Diary of an Astronaut’s Apprentice”, Sunday 1pm. Minimum donation of $ 5 requested. Register at Eventbrite.com.
Cuyahoga County Public Library: Cleveland Heights writer Paula McLain (“The Paris Wife”, “When the Stars Go Dark”) talks to Patti Callahan about Callahan’s novel “Once Upon a Wardrobe” about an Oxford student from CS Lewis in a Zoom event from 3 to 4 a.m. Sunday. On Wednesday from 7pm to 8pm, Gayle Forman will speak about her middle school novel “Frankie & Bug”.
Hudson Library & Historical Society: Robby Krieger, guitarist for The Doors, talks to Andy Leach, Senior Director of Museum and Archival Collections at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, about Krieger’s memoir “Set the Night on Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar” at 7pm Monday. On Tuesday at 7pm, James Patterson, with the record for most # 1 bestseller by a single author, will speak about his latest book, ER Nurses. Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Macs backs: Diane Kendig will read “Woman with a Fan” from her English-Spanish poetry collection and Kevin A. Risner will read “Do Us a Favor” from his collection in a virtual event on Monday at 7 pm.
Rodman Public Library (215 E. Broadway St., Alliance): James A. Willis, author of “Ohio’s Historic Haunts” and “The Big Book of Ohio Ghost Stories” will present “Meet the Ghosts of Ohio” on Monday from 7 to 8 pm. Register at rodmanlibrary.com.
(330 Court Ave. NW, Canton): Cleveland WJW news anchor Jazmin Bailey speaks on “The Woman with Oil: Stripping Everything and Healing From the Inside Out,” her memoir on domestic violence, Tuesday 6pm to 8pm. Register at starklibrary.org.
Barberton Public Library (602 W. Park Ave.): Green writer Kathryn Long shares her work, including the mystery series Paint by Murder and Sierra Pines B&B, Tuesday 6:30 p.m. Register at barbertonlibrary.org.
Cleveland Heights-University Heights Libraries: Janice Mitchell reads and signs “My Ticket to Ride: How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in England (a True Story from 1964)” at a Zoom event on Wednesday at 7pm. Register at heightslibrary.org.
Wadsworth Public Library (132 Broad St.): Dave Schwensen speaks about “The Beatles in Cleveland: The Notorious 1964 & 1966 Concerts” and “The Beatles at Shea Stadium: The Story Behind Their Greatest Concert”, Thursday 7pm to 9pm.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma Snow store, 2121 Snow Road): Paula McLain talks to Elizabeth Strout (“Olive Kitteridge” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2009) about “Oh William!”, Thursday 7pm to 8pm. Admission of $ 25 includes a signed copy of the book; Vaccination certificate required. Can switch to a virtual event, so check before attending. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Scholarly owl bookstore (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Irv Korman signs his children’s books “Melton the Adoptable Snowman” and “The Eight Knights of Chanukkah”, Saturday 1pm to 3pm.
Akron Summit County Public Library (Maple Valley Branch, 1187 Copley Road): Benjamin Lipford signs A Book of Spiritual Poems, Poetry, and Inspirational Quotes, Saturday 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Register at akronlibrary.org or 330-864-5721.
Email information on books of local interest and event notices to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com at least two weeks in advance. Barbara McIntyre tweeted @BarbaraMcI.
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