‘Long Ways from Home’ tells
tale of families in 1950s Akron
For four 1950s families whose desire for opportunity draws them to leave their homes in rural Mississippi, Akron, with its factory jobs, seems to be a magnet. In Long Ways from Home, a debut inspirational novella by Akron resident Ralph Carl Cannon, friends Mary Alice, Sophie, Minnie and Lavern want to leave the South and its poverty behind, and find education and opportunity for their children in the north.
Also left behind is Johnnie B., whose influence among the affluent white population ends when he is murdered in a robbery.
Only Minnie’s husband, Sam, wants to remain, to work his horse farm and his good mill job, so Minnie stays with him. The other three families head to Akron, where they find close living conditions but supportive neighbors. Another hometown man, Charlie, has set up a business in Akron that includes the enigmatic shoeshine man Mr. Washington. Charlie once was an associate of the corrupt Johnnie B., but he’s a benevolent presence in Akron, and Mr. Washington adds an allegorical aspect to the overall evangelism of the book, representing several characters as angels who guide the families.
They haven’t been in Akron very long before tragedy strikes, and they will need those angels as they search for answers about God’s will and the meaning of life. There are considerable Scripture references and inspiring calls to accept God.
Long Ways from Home (148 pages) costs $13.95 in softcover from online retailers, but a startling $30.95 in hardcover. Ralph Carl Cannon has studied creative writing and business at the University of Akron.
A nostalgic look at department store
How many of those standing behind slot machines or watching whirling roulette wheels at the Horseshoe Cleveland Casino are aware of the history of their lavish surroundings? A Higbee History: From Designer Labels to Casino Tables, by Richard E. Karberg, Jay Miller and James A. Toman, covers the story of the venerable department store.
The authors give a history of the company, which started as Wayne County’s Hower & Higbee dry goods in 1860. The early Cleveland stores were tasteful, but nothing to compare to the elegant 1931 Public Square building, completed at the same time as Severance Hall.
In addition to the nostalgia that readers will expect, like the Silver Grille, Mr. Jingeling and the children’s Twigbee Shop, the authors provide inside information like the store’s competition with its neighbors the Halle Brothers and the May Company, and its sponsorship of cultural events.
Remembering the exodus to the suburbs and the store’s slow decline and closing are sad, but there’s some comfort in reading about the restoration of the Silver Grille — for private events, at least — and the transformation of the neglected building into office and gaming space.
A Higbee History (143 pages, softcover) costs $24.95 from Cleveland Landmarks Press, which Toman founded with Dan Cook in 1980.
Events
Dover Public Library (525 N. Walnut St.) — Mary McClure gives a presentation and signs High Bridge Glens of Cuyahoga Falls, a pictorial about the 1880s amusement park, 7 p.m. Monday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Royalton branch, 14600 State Road) — Bob Grau, author of Five Million Steps on a Journey of Hope: Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail, talks and signs his book, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday.
Ashland Public Library (224 Claremont Ave.) — Mary Ellis (Amish fiction including A Little Bit of Charm), West Salem children’s author Dandi Daley Mackall and Nick Shamhart (The Fog Within) hold a panel discussion, 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Nordonia Hills branch, 9458 Olde Eight Road, Northfield) — Naomi Mullet Stutzman, author of A Basketful of Broken Dishes, talks about “My Amish Inheritance” and signs her book, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers (198 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake) — Chanda Bell, author (with Carol Aebersold) of The Elf on the Shelf, signs the Christmas-themed book, 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Road, Stow) — Author John E. Perry and illustrator Chuck Ayers sign their children’s book The Cat That Wouldn’t Purr, 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Maple Valley branch, 1187 Copley Road) — Shaneen Harris talks about and signs her book Reflections of My Thoughts: I Used to Believe in Unicorns … And I Still Do!, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.) — Edward Ball, whose book Slaves in the Family won the National Book Award, discusses and signs The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures, about the relationship between railroad magnate Leland Stanford and photographer Eadweard Muybridge, 7 p.m. Thursday. Registration required; call 330-653-6658.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers (4015 Medina Road, Bath Township) — “Discovery Friday” includes activities, costumed characters and giveaways all day. Stow author Les Roberts, of the Milan Jacovich mystery series, and Beacon Journal columnist Bob Dyer, whose new book is Blimp Pilot Terrorizes Akron: and Other Hot Air, will talk about and sign their books from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Innes Middle School (1999 East Ave., Akron) — Carrie Shultz signs her storybook V.I.P. Stepkid at the Kenmore Band Boosters holiday bazaar, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson) — GrilledShane blogger Shane Kearns of Solon signs his book Melt: 100 Amazing Adventures of Grilled Cheese, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Visible Voice (1023 Kenilworth Ave., Cleveland) — Lori Zoss signs her storybook A Bed for Fred, about a basset hound who gets lost looking for his missing bed, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
— Barbara McIntyre
Special to the Beacon Journal
Send information about books of local interest to Lynne Sherwin, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309 or lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance.