A Good American

By Alex George

Book Overview

"A beautifully written novel, laced with history and music." --Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven A LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A BOOKPAGE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Everything he'd seen had been unimaginably different from the dry, dour streets of home, and to his surprise he was not sorry in the slightest. He was smitten by the beguiling otherness of it all. And so began my grandfather's rapturous love affair with America--an affair that would continue until the day he died. This is the story of the Meisenheimer family, told by James, a third-generation American living in Beatrice, Missouri. It's where his German grandparents--Frederick and Jette--found themselves after journeying across the turbulent Atlantic, fording the flood-swollen Mississippi, and being brought to a sudden halt by the broken water of the pregnant Jette. A Good American tells of Jette's dogged determination to feed a town sauerkraut and soul food; the loves and losses of her children, Joseph and Rosa; and the precocious voices of James and his brothers, sometimes raised in discord...sometimes in perfect harmony. But above all, A Good American is about the music in Frederick's heart, a song that began as an aria, was jazzed by ragtime, and became an anthem of love for his adopted country that the family still hears to this day.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425253171
• ISBN13: 9780425253175
• Release Date: February 2013
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Thoroughly enjoyed!

Had a hard time putting this book down it’s so good! A well told story. Have just ordered two more of the author’s books. Looking forward to diving in!

always searching for good fiction

One of the best fiction books I have read !! sad, funny, and true to life of many "good American" families.