The three-page resume of Michael “Mick” Mackintosh, a veteran journalist, strikes awe into the managing editor of the newspaper who is interviewing him for a position far beneath his qualifications. Mick is the protagonist of the wrenching Between Lives by Pennsylvania journalist and teacher Earl H. McDaniel, who describes his book as “somewhat autobiographical.”
In 2003, battered by the recession, Mick is growing desperate for work. Plagued by arthritis, underemployed and starving for benefits, he finds the meager job market corrupted by cronyism. Those who are hiring are wet behind the ears, because so many of the seasoned professionals have accepted buyouts or been laid off (“The editor has asked for a bike without training wheels for his next birthday,” Mick sneers to a friend in an email after his interview.)
Mick also is a qualified, experienced teacher, but his efforts to find work are stymied by seemingly irrelevant provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act. His frustration with the war leads him to increasingly bitter diatribes against George W. Bush.
It is easy to identify and sympathize with Mick, demoralized and frustrated; as he explains, he has “done everything right” by working on a graduate degree and looking for alternative work. Even his resentment at others’ small successes is understandable, but reading about Mick’s soul-sucking experience with unemployment, and its effect on his self-esteem and personality, is crushing.
Between Lives (298 pages, softcover) costs $11.99 from online retailers. Earl McDaniel was a deputy metro editor at the Beacon Journal in 2001 and 2002.
‘How to Save Your Business’
If you’re running your own business, you might have someone to advise you, whether it’s a single experienced mentor or a board of directors. You might also have a reference like How to Save Your Business from Yourself: Answers to Your Business Questions from A to Z, a compendium of advice from Akron consultants Lynn Miller, who goes by the moniker “Dr. Bizsaver,” and his partner and wife, Bambi Miller.
The large-format guide has alphabetical chapters for easy lookup of topics like the definitions of at-will employment, how and why to offer tuition reimbursement to employees, the problem of sexual harassment, inventory turnover and dress codes. Each topic has a “What should I do?” summary with clear recommendations.
How to Save Your Business from Yourself (289 pages, softcover) costs $16.95 and is available only from Amazon.com.
Footnotes
• Northeast Ohio is well represented in the 2014 Ohioana Book Awards, as Cleveland native Beth Hoffman’s Looking for Me has been named the winner in the fiction category; Case Western Reserve University professor Brad Ricca in nonfiction, for Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster: Creators of Superman; and Oberlin College professor Kazim Ali’s Sky Ward in the poetry category.
• A price clarification: The $23.99 cost listed in last week’s column for The Diamond Thieves, a novel by B.W. Gibson of Akron, is for the hardcover version. It is available in softcover for $14.95.
Events
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.) — The Northeast Ohio chapter of Sisters in Crime presents “Killer Heat” with mystery authors including Daniel Stashower, Kylie Logan, Shelley Costa, Amanda Flower, Sam Thomas, Mara Purnhagen, Katherine Clark and Jane Turzillo participating in panel discussions and signing their books, 1:15 to 4:45 p.m. today.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Royalton branch, 14600 State Road) — Robert Musson, author of A History of Cleveland Brewing, talks about the local brewing industry and signs his book, 7 to 8 p.m. Monday.
Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights) — Joe Baur, author of Best Hikes Near Cleveland, and Douglas Trattner, author of the Cleveland edition of the Moon travel handbook series, sign their books from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the “Tuesdays on Coventry” summer vendor village across the street from the bookstore.
Massillon Library (Barry Askren Memorial Branch, 1200 Market St. NE, Navarre) — David L. Craddock, Canton author of Stay Awhile and Listen: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire, a behind-the-scenes look at the early days of video game development, talks about his new novel Heritage, a fantasy for young adults, 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Strongsville branch, 18700 Westwood Drive) — The Friends of the Strongsville Library holds its annual meeting, followed by a talk by Brimfield police Chief David Oliver, author of No Mopes Allowed, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson) — Stow author Terry Sykes-Bradshaw talks about and signs Sibling Revelry, a comic mystery about two sisters chasing clues on a European holiday, and its predecessor, The Awful Truth about Dead Men, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Winery at Wolf Creek (2637 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Norton) — Terry Sykes-Bradshaw (Sibling Revelry), Rose Withering (Amanda’s Faith), Dan R. Arman (River of Dreams) and Dena Hall (Greek Ends), who participated in 2013’s National Novel Writing Month, will talk about the event and sign books brought to the winery (no book sales on site); 7:30 to 9 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.