Al Schnupp's GOODS & EFFECTS Out May 29, 2021
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- Category: Authors
- Published: Tuesday, 23 March 2021 05:59
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Devastated by the death of her husband and sons, Hannah Mercer sells the family farm and creates a store and living quarters in a delivery truck. As she travels several circuits selling her wares, Hannah becomes the heart of a network of interlinking lives: Nathan owns the motel where Hannah often parks her truck; Darla is a young and talented deaf artist, whose parents let her accompany Hannah on her rounds. It’s 1962 when Hannah loses her family and takes to her peddler’s trade--and social changes are in the air. How should she respond when Naomi, wife of the pious Mennonite deacon, reaches for sexual freedom? When Frank, a gentle farmer with a chronically-ill wife, reveals troubling biases? When LeRoy, a black farmer and talented songwriter, finds his farm vandalized by racists? Velma owns a woodworking shop. Is she a good match for Vivian, Ruston County’s elegant, lesbian librarian?
Larry ... Maddie ... Tom ... Molly. As years pass and Hannah's relationships deepen, her faith diminishes but her vision of humanity expands. Hannah Mercer is a clever problem-solver, a shrewd schemer, a spinner of tender lies, an advocate for justice, and a dream weaver.
Born and raised Mennonite in rural Pennsylvania, Al Schnupp trained as an actor before earning assorted degrees in theater. He’s spent his career teaching, directing, producing, set designing, and writing plays--and a few novels--mainly in California. He’s staged classics (The Little Prince) and scripted figures like Kathe Kollwitz (Censored) and Peggy Guggenheim (The Collection) into life. His award-winning political satire, Zero to Infinity, has become a novel, Zero. And he makes his own art. For more, see his website: www.playsanddesigns.com.