History Lesson: the walls know where the body lies - Softcover

Walker, Jan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0984840095 ISBN 13: 9780984840090

Publisher: Plicata Press, 2014

Synopsis

They've heard it said, these walls, that walls have ears. They've heard the prayers of thanks for their lack of tongues. Foolish are those who trust the silence, for the walls hold onto memories. They know more than smoke and wine; they know where the body lies. Beth Marasich and her cousin Dani Manette Marasich, both just turning 15, are about as different as their hometowns-Old Town Tacoma and Tiburon California. Put them together for the summer following their fisherman grandfather's death, and watch an Old Town History Lesson unfold. There're rumors of a buried body, bets being placed over who fathered the baby their Aunt Sonja's carrying, money missing from the family fishing business and wine disappearing from the Marasich cellar. Beth's a wholesome girl, into the local salmon fishing scene, playing premier-league soccer, and maintaining her position as favorite grandchild with their grandmother. Dani has an eating disorder, thanks to her fashion designer mother who feeds her supplements for weight control. She wants to get out of modeling and into documentary film making. Old Town's a perfect setting, but Dani will need Beth's help, and Beth's not exactly on board with that.

About this title

From the Author

History Lesson is set in Old Town Tacoma, where the city's first settlement was established on the shores of Commencement Bay. The story grew from a friend's comment that there weren't many old fishermen left who knew where the bodies were buried. One possible body was enough for me to create this book.Immigrants came from the Adriatic Sea to work in the lumber mills and to fish for salmon. This story is about the Croatian families who built a lodge where they still celebrate their history. They call it the Slavonian American Benevolent Society Hall, known for its fish tales. I call it the Old Town Lodge and make it a character in the story.The story pokes fun at Swedes who also settled there and were seen as a"loutish pale-skinned bunch" by the Croatians. To even the score for my own Scandinavian heritage, I made Beth Marasich, one of the point-of-view characters half Swedish/half Croatian. The story is set in the early 21st century with vignettes that capture the history beginning with four young Croatian cabin boys who didn't immigrate so much as wash ashore from a ship carrying ore to a nearby smelter, hiding out and becoming the corner posts for the lodge and evolution of the area.The story is told by Beth Marasich of Old Town and her cousin Dani Manette Marasich of Tiburon, California. The girls' personal histories are as different as the places where they were born and grew. Beth's dad fishes in Alaska for salmon; her mother runs a professional cleaning business. Beth plays premier level soccer. She's a wholesome teen.Dani's dad is an investment banker in San Francisco; her mother is a fashion designer/model, and Dani has been modeling with her since she could walk. But Dani is built like her Croatian dad - her mother's designs don't fit Dani's curves, so she did the eat and puke thing until her parents found out. Now she's got "magic pills" from a Tiburon friend, but the friend ended up in the hospital and is in a coma. Dani is a privileged but troubled teen.Beth and Dani meet at their grandfather Marasich's funeral. When Dani's dad needs to return to Old Town to unravel the mystery of missing boat money he's been investing in the family fishing business, Dani goes along to get away from the drug scene. Her dad insists she join an eating disorder therapy group in Tacoma. She has a video camera and wants to spend her time filming an Old Town documentary. And, she believes there could be a buried body in spite of her cousin Beth telling her that's just another fish tale.The two girls tell their stories in alternating chapters, Beth in first person present - Dani in third person past. History vignettes appear between each chapter, giving a reader a sense of Old Town and how some of its secrets are buried.

About the Author

Jan Walker's books reveal foibles and flaws in characters living ordinary lives and range from the 11-year-old rascal Robbie in her new book, HISTORY LESSON: THE WALLS KNOW WHERE THE BODY LIES, to the cigar chewing Vince who's 85. Her studies in family relationships is evident in fiction and nonfiction. Her prison teacher's memoir was named a Washington Reads book by the state librarian. Her new account of teaching men and women inside prisons, due for release in July 2015, shows why and how educating them pays back society both financially and emotionally. Walker is the editorial director of the indie publisher Plicata Press LLC. HISTORY LESSON is her eighth book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Plicata Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0984840095
• ISBN 13: 9780984840090
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 274