A Good American

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An uplifting novel about the families we create and the places we call home. In 1904, Frederick and Jette flee her disapproving mother, choosing to escape to America. Initially set to board a boat to New York, they opt for one to New Orleans instead, ultimately finding themselves in the small town of Beatrice, Missouri. With no knowledge of English, they begin their new life together. Beatrice is filled with unforgettable characters: a jazz trumpeter who cooks delicious gumbo, a giant teenage boy, a schoolteacher who teaches more than music, a minister convinced he has seen the Second Coming, and a malevolent, bicycle-riding dwarf. The story is narrated by James, the grandson of Frederick and Jette, who realizes he knows little about his own heritage. From bare-knuckle prizefighting and Prohibition to barbershop harmonies and the Kennedy assassination, James's family experiences the ebb and flow of history. Each generation learns anew what it means to be American, often discovering more about themselves than expected. Poignant, funny, and heartbreaking, this novel explores the experience of being an outsider—within one’s country, hometown, and family—ultimately telling a universal story about the search for home.