‘The Heart of It All’ is a superb novel | Book Talk
You know this place, these people. A nameless “quaint” little town in north central Ohio, maybe somewhere around Ashland, with only a few viable employers. One Black family, one Pakistani family, maybe one bowling alley, definitely more than one racist. This is “The Heart of It All,” a superlative novel by Christian Kiefer.
The story begins at the home of Tom and Sarah Bailey. With their teenage children Charlie and Janey, they are mourning the death of baby James and their friends have arrived with casseroles and sympathy.
Also present is Tom’s boss Khalid, the amiable owner of a small factory. Khalid is in something of a bubble, unaware of the racial slurs directed at him from his work floor. Tom tells his friend Sam to knock it off.
Kiefer introduces his characters without artifice. Tom enters the life of Mary Lou, the unhappy office manager at the factory. Janey, who is 17, meets Anthony, a 20-year-old Black man who has moved in with his aunt after escaping gang violence in East Cleveland. His aunt lives across the street from a man who sits on his porch and stares at her from under his Confederate flag. The man’s son is Charlie’s best friend, who needs more help than Charlie can give. Khalid has been awaiting the arrival of his parents from Pakistan with anticipation and apprehension.
It is winter, and the cold and snow add to the suffocating fear that permeates the town as political division and economic instability increase.
“The Heart of It All” (368 pages, softcover) costs $17.99 from Melville House. Kiefer, director of the Master of Fine Arts program at Ashland University, also wrote “The Animals” and “Phantoms.”
‘Echoes from the Past’
The use of artificial intelligence in writing has been controversial, with some advocates lauding it as an easy and fast way to create written content and professionals finding it a threat, lacking creativity and inviting plagiarism. Akron resident Rodney Harris Sr. has used AI to create “Echoes from the Past: An AI Conversation with Deceased Civil Rights Leaders and Black Icons on the State of the Black Community.”
The book is formatted as a series of interviews, with an unnamed interviewer questioning figures like Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, James Baldwin and Malcolm X. The questions differ by subject: Black Panther leader Fred Hampton is asked about persecution by the FBI; Cudjo Lewis, a survivor of the slave trade, about his captivity.
“Echoes from the Past” (88 pages, softcover) costs $14.95 from online retailers. Rodney Harris’s website features the covers of other “Echoes” books, including a “coming soon” version with athletes like Muhammad Ali and Althea Gibson.
Harris will launch “Echoes from the Past” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the John Brown House, 514 Diagonal Road, Akron. Register at bellstpublishing.com.
Awards
Akron native and Pulitzer Prize winner Rita Dove will receive the 2023 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, presented by the National Book Foundation. The ceremony will be Nov. 15.
Events
Bottlehouse Brewery (13368 Madison Ave., Lakewood): Greg Murray launches “Gotcha Day! Adoption Tales of Remarkable Rescue Dogs,” including a pet food drive, 3 p.m. Sunday.
Cleveland Public Library (Louis Stokes branch, 525 Superior Ave.): The Literary Cleveland Inkubator Writing Conference kicks off with virtual panels at 7 p.m. Monday and in-person panels beginning Friday and Saturday, with a book fair and keynote speaker Elizabeth Acevedo on Friday. Free, but registration is required at litcleveland.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Solon branch, 34125 Portz Parkway): Tom Matowitz Jr., author of “Cleveland Metroparks,” talks about the history of the Cleveland Police Department, 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Judy Labensohn (“Our Names Do Not Appear: A Memoir”) and Gabe Goldman (“The Loving Wind”) talk about childhood grief, 4 p.m. Tuesday. At 4 p.m. Saturday, Linda Robertson signs “Bullsh*t with Cream on It: A Leadership Memoir.”
Massillon Public Library (208 Lincoln Way E.): David and Elise Meyers discuss “The Reverse Underground Railroad in Ohio,” 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at massillonlibrary.org.
Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): Environmental journalist talks about “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life on a Scorched Planet,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. In a virtual appearance, actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy will talk about “Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain,” 7 p.m. Thursday. Vicki Delany appears in person to discuss her cozy mystery “Steeped in Malice,” 2 p.m. Saturday. Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Kent State University (1125 Risman Drive): Tameka Ellington, associate professor design and editor of “Black Hair in a White World,” launches the collection of essays about Black hair culture at a reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Medina County Public Library (Buckeye branch, 6625 Wolff Road, Medina): Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis discusses her teen novel “A Long Stretch of Bad Days,” about two girls with a podcast who try to solve a murder, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at mcdl.info.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Adam Alter joins the Online Author Talk Series with “How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most,” 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday. Register at smfpl.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Kenmore branch, 969 Kenmore Blvd.): Alexis Thomas of Kenmore reads from her storybook “Pup on the Moon,” with snacks and prizes for children in preschool through second grade, 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Lakewood Public Library (15425 Detroit Ave.): Vince Guerrieri discusses “Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports: Bottlegate, Bedbugs, and Burying the Pennant and More!,” 7 p.m. Wednesday.
U.S. Bank (3104 25th St., Cleveland): Bricia and Paulina Lopez, owners of Guelaguetza Oaxacan Restaurant in Los Angeles, sign “Hablemos de Negocios: A Story of Immigration, Family, Love, Entrepreneurship and Success,” 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Kent State University (1125 Risman Drive): Tameka Ellington, associate professor design and editor of “Black Hair in a White World,” launches the collection of essays about Black hair culture at a reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Stark County Public Library (Perry Sippo branch, 5710 12th St. NW, Perry Township): David Lee Morgan Jr. talks about “Breaking Through the Lines: The Marion Motley Story,” 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland): James Renner joins the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party series with “Little, Crazy Children: A True Crime Tragedy,” about the unsolved 1990 murder of Shaker Heights teen Lisa Pruett, 7 p.m. Thursday. Dinner is $25; the lecture is free. Go to musicboxcle.com.
Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County (305 Wick Ave., Youngstown): The Literary Society’s 2023 author event features David Baldacci, 6 p.m. Thursday. The $150 tickets include an opening reception, dinner and a signed copy of “Simply Lies.” Register at libraryvisit.org.
Dover Public Library (525 N. Walnut St.): Brandy Gleason, author of “100 Things to Do in Amish Country Before You Die,” talks about Ohio and Midwest travel as part of the Berlin Harvest Fest, 6:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Register at doverlibrary.org.
Cleveland Public Library (South branch, 3096 Scranton Road): Stephen Mack Jones talks about “Deus X,” latest in the Detroit-set August Snow series, 7 p.m. Thursday. The Literary Cleveland Inkubator Writing Conference kicks off with virtual panels Monday and in-person panels Friday and Saturday, with keynote speaker Elizabeth Acevedo at 7 p.m. Friday.
Visible Voice Books (2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland): “Cleveland Noir” editors Miesha Headen and Michael Ruhlman appear at 7 p.m. Friday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Independence branch, 6361 Selig Drive): Sharona Hoffman signs “Aging with a Plan,” 11 a.m. to noon Saturday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Shan L. Spyker signs her middle-grade fantasy “The Way of the River,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘The Heart of It All’ is a superlative novel by Christian Kiefer
