Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Delphic Oracle U.S.A.

  • Happy Fourth of July from Chanticleer 2023

    Celebrating the 4th of July – Independence Day in the U.S.A.

    In July 1776 the United States declared Independence from England.

    John Dunlap printed copies of the Declaration of Independence in his Philadelphia shop on the night of July 4, 1776. (National Archives Identifier 301682)

    The primary freedoms that everyone remembers from the Declaration of Independence is “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” You can read the full Declaration here via the National Archives. It’s about two pages long and worth taking the time to review it.

    Of course, the Declaration of Independence didn’t mean freedom for all…

    Since US Independence was declared, the path to voting rights for all has been a long one getting from there to here, and there’s still more work to be done. You can read an abridged history of the journey of voting rights for women and people of color here, with special attention paid to the 19th Amendment.

    And we now have Juneteenth, a Texas holiday that is now celebrated nationwide. . The holiday celebrates a June 19, 1865 proclamation that freed enslaved peoples in Texas. Texas then, in 1979, became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. You can learn more about Juneteenth here.

    You can also read Ralph Ellison’s posthumously released novel by the same name.

    Clearly, the US Independence Day has a deep, rich history that still lives on and evolves today. The traditions to celebrate the Fourth of July also continue to change and grow with the world.

    Here in Bellingham, Wash., there will be a celebration at Zuanich Point Park and the Squalicum Boathouse. Events begin at 2pm, and, with sunset around 9:16pm, the big event begins at 10:30pm! You can learn more about this and other Whatcom County Events here.

    Fireworks go off behind Bellingham's Old City Hall for the Fourth of July Independence Day
    Bellingham’s Old City Hall

    It is also a time to remember those who serve and have served to preserve our nation’s independence and democracy.

    We invite you to  visit Chanticleer’s most recent Memorial Day post here.

    Finally, we want to celebrate the US Independence Day in the most Chanticleer way possible — by recognizing wonderful titles . We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

    Great Reads from Chanticleer Reviews

    US Fiction and Early History

    Delaware Before the Railroads

    DELAWARE BEFORE The RAILROADS
    By Dave Tabler

    Delaware Before the Railroads by Dave Tabler presents a captivating visual tale of this tiny state, from 1638 to 1832, ranging between early colonial settlements and the aftermath of America’s Independence.

    Delaware’s place in this seminal time of United States history is carefully illustrated through pictures with wonderful captions. Delaware Before the Railroads highlights the significant role played by Delaware in America’s creation, uncovering surprising historical details such as the origin of log houses, a heroic figure who thwarted the British invasion of Canada, and the intriguing connection with Captain Kidd.

    The pictures and captions are highlighted by sidebar paragraphs that deliver more knowledge about what life was like for the Swedes and Dutch who settled near Delaware Bay. They found, for instance, a “new world” of seafood they didn’t recognize, such as the crabs they called “sea spiders.”

    Read more here.

    Delphic Oracle Cover

    DELPHIC ORACLE, U.S.A.
    By Steven Mayfield
    Mark Twain Grand Prize Winner

    The Coen Brothers meet Garrison Keillor in Steven Mayfield’s quirky, offbeat, and often hilarious Delphic Oracle, U.S.A.

    One June afternoon in 1925, seventeen-year-old Maggie Westinghouse, out walking alone as was her custom, comes upon a stranger in a railroad switch-house asleep on a pile of gunnysacks. Maggie, who has always stood a little apart from the town, has recently begun to experience visions that come upon her “in a leisurely way,” ending in a swoon and a restless sleep filled with exotic talk of which she later has no memory. No one knows what to make of it, but they soon will. After this afternoon’s chance encounter with July Pennybaker, a charming grifter on the lam, her world will never be the same. Neither will the town of Miagrammesto Station.

    Eighty-nine years later, in the days leading up to and following the July 4th weekend, domestic dramas are playing out across Delphic Oracle, Nebraska (nee Miagrammesto Station).

    Read more here.

    Everything That Was Cover

    EVERYTHING THAT WAS
    By Conon Parks, Chris Sempek, Mike MacNeil, Larry Knight
    Somerset Grand Prize Winner

    Everything That Was echoes myriad broken emotions born of the world in turmoil after 9/11, intricate and politically bold, and as disturbing in its brutal humanity as it is satisfying with witty jests.

    The 9/11 terrorist attack has shattered the psyche of the American people. A volcanic eruption of questions demands the whys and hows of the attack. From this anger, a massive war on terror begins. This historical fiction reflects the chaos of 9/11 and its ensuing global chaos – resulting in a series of violent endeavors and events. Throughout Everything That Was, one can find a swarm of fragmented ideologies, mini memoirs of war veterans, and witness accounts – all screeching reasons for the attack, the ensuing war, and its consequences: political, ideological, and theological.

    The book’s very structure expresses the central ideas of its content, making for an affecting read.

    Read more here.

    Wartime Fiction and Non-Fiction

    Dear Bob Cover

    DEAR BOB: Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II
    By Martha Bolton with Linda Hope
    Military and Front Line Grand Prize Winner

    During World War II, Bob Hope traveled almost ceaselessly to outposts large and small, entertaining US troops – and inspiring them; Martha Bolton brings the extent of this work to light in Dear Bob.

    Writer Martha Bolton worked with and for comedian Bob Hope. Now, with Hope’s daughter Linda, she has gathered and organized the letters written to Bob by the soldiers he helped.

    Hope, English born, and born to entertain, once said he could not retire and go fishing because “Fish don’t applaud.” Among his sizzling lines – and there are hundreds recorded here – he told one audience that he’d gotten a wonderful welcome when he arrived at their camp: “I received a 10-gun salute… They told me on the operating table.”

    Read more here.

    SEEING GLORY: A Novel of Family Strife, Faith & the American Civil War
    By Bruce Gardner

    Seeing Glory by Bruce Gardner is a sweeping, thought-provoking Christian historical novel of the American Civil War. The novel portrays the critical roles of family ties and religious faith in shaping personal attitudes and actions towards the horrors of slavery and the war itself.

    Spanning the era from the famous abolitionist John Brown’s Pottawatomie Massacre in 1856 through the end of the war nine years later, Seeing Glory focuses on the gut-wrenching conflicts over slavery and the southern way of life faced by David, Emma, and Catherine Hodge, fictional siblings, raised on a wealthy plantation in Virginia.

    David returns home from a prestigious northern college filled with radical new perspectives. He challenges his father’s and his southern church’s assurances that the Bible says slavery is approved by God. When David calls out the truth as he now sees it, he ignites a firestorm that tears him away from his family at the beginning of the Civil War, sparking huge changes in their individual destinies. Soon after meeting Abel Bowman—an ardent abolitionist and follower of John Brown—David moves north to Ohio and becomes an embedded war reporter with Abel’s Union army regiment. Mutual zeal for the abolitionist cause abounds, but will it help or hinder the two men’s endurance of horrific battlefield violence and scandalous personal accusation?

    Read more here.

    US Flag in the wind

    This Independence Day, we wish you the following:

    May your family and loved ones be close and happy. May we share in the benefits of a community that cares for and loves each other.

    Happy Fourth of July from Sharon, Kiffer, David, Scott, Anya, Andy, and the whole Chanticleer Team!

    And Remember! You can join the Chanticleer Family Anytime!

    CAC 23 featured atty Maggie Marr, magazine editor Eric Lucas, author Mark Berridge, podcaster and broadcast journalist Reenita Malhotra Hora, and more!

    To stay up to date with exciting news about our conference, your next great read, or contest deadlines, sign up for our Newsletter here!

    Check out our Editorial Services here and our Manuscript Overviews here, OR, if your work is already polished to a fine shine, it’s time to submit to our Editorial Reviews here and our Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) here!

    Your book deserves to be discovered!

  • DELPHIC ORACLE, U.S.A. by Steven Mayfield – Small Town Fiction, Family Saga, Contemporary Fiction

    The Mark Twain Grand Prize for Steven Mayfield and his book Delphic Oracle U.S.A.The Coen Brothers meet Garrison Keillor in Steven Mayfield’s quirky, offbeat, and often hilarious Delphic Oracle, U.S.A.

    One June afternoon in 1925, seventeen-year-old Maggie Westinghouse, out walking alone as was her custom, comes upon a stranger in a railroad switch-house asleep on a pile of gunnysacks. Maggie, who has always stood a little apart from the town, has recently begun to experience visions that come upon her “in a leisurely way,” ending in a swoon and a restless sleep filled with exotic talk of which she later has no memory. No one knows what to make of it, but they soon will. After this afternoon’s chance encounter with July Pennybaker, a charming grifter on the lam, her world will never be the same. Neither will the town of Miagrammesto Station.

    Eighty-nine years later, in the days leading up to and following the July 4th weekend, domestic dramas are playing out across Delphic Oracle, Nebraska (nee Miagrammesto Station).

    Teddy Goodfellow, given to periodic fits of restlessness, has done a runner only days before the Fourth of July parade. Francis Wounded Arrow, attempting to change the battery in his nearly cherry 1929 Chevy pickup, has gotten his arm stuck and remains there at Peaseblossom Implement & Auto Parts throughout the afternoon, chatting nonchalantly with the various townsfolk, some of them family who wander by. Beagle Gibbs embarks upon his Religious Period and begins interviewing the different denominations in the town, to see which might suit.

    When Teddy bolts, the town responds as it always does. They hold a pool, friends and neighbors, and family each predicting a date and time for his return. The countdown begins. When Francis holds court in Big Bob’s garage, pretending that nothing is amiss—and after he’s privately called upon the Great Father and several of the pantheon of Blessed Uncles to no avail—the entire Delphic Oracle Fire Department is galvanized into action and very nearly saves the day. And Beagle, after a tour of all that the different churches in town have to offer, loses his religious ardor in an unfortunate and rather painful mishap with a nail-gun on the roof of his mother’s house.

    But what happens is only part of the fun. It’s how it all happens—the droll language, the turns of phrase, the reactions of the townspeople—that makes the story.

    This is not a novel to be rushed. This is a novel for those who love tall tales, yarns, sitting on a summer evening on the wide porch, fanning against the heat, and passing the time telling stories. It’s a novel of reflection and escapade. A novel to be savored.

    Structurally, the story is a twist of two timeframes, two narratives. In one, a story that began three generations in the past unfolds. In the other, a bustling town is brought to life through the concurrent stories of several members of the same extended family. The historical strand drives relentlessly forward, those two lives unfurling and intertwining, time passing. The contemporary strand ripples outward, taking in the town and its inhabitants in a luxurious and unhurried manner over a period that encompasses, in storytime, only a few weeks, but that covers, in reflective time, much more than that.

    Time, too, is in a twist.

    It sieves back and forth and collapses in on itself. The past informs the present; and the present (for us readers), the past. Most of our primary present-day characters, the ones we live with over the course of a few weeks in July and August of 2014, remain anchored solidly in time. But the many characters who move like constellations about those steady poles—those we often encounter plucked out of their own timelines—are typically out of sequence.

    This is a novel where a child new to the world, a toddler wailing in a crib, is elsewhere in the tale of the grandfather, long deceased. The stalwart man remembered in the present as the founder of the town puts in an appearance in the past, sixty-odd years after that founding, as a doddering grandfather who’s soiled himself. Another of those long-ago individuals was the flesh and blood precursor to the decades-old human skeleton partially unearthed by Regretful Peasebottom’s dog in a nearby vacant lot two days before the parade.

    The same events sometimes reappear from different perspectives, and we put the full stories together like puzzle pieces, fitting now a future piece, now a past. A prism-puzzle, these pieces twirl and refract the light off themselves and one another, until we understand that the story of one forms a part of the story of all and the story of all reaches into the story of each.

    The effect is a fully fleshed-out town of long acquaintance, filled with people who seem to live and breathe on the page. The author becomes not so much a novelist, as through his narrator an amanuensis. And to spend time with this novel is not so much to read a story as to take up residence in the town for several madcap weeks, every bit at home as though, like the narrator, you’d never truly lived anywhere else.

    Delphic Oracle U.S.A won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Mark Twain Book Awards for Humor and Satire.

     

    5 Stars! Best Book Chanticleer Book Reviews