Hannah's Voice
by
Robb Grindstaff
- Contemporary/Literary
- Date Published: 1/15/13
About the book . . .
When six-year-old
Hannah's brutal honesty is mistaken for lying, she stops speaking. Her
family, her community, and eventually, the entire nation struggle to
find meaning in her silence.
School
officials suspect abuse. Church members are divided—either she has a
message from God or is possessed by a demon. Social workers interrupt an
exorcism to wrest Hannah away from her momma, who has a tenuous grip on
sanity. Hidden in protective foster care for twelve years, she loses
all contact with her mother and remains mute by choice.
When
Hannah leaves foster care at age eighteen to search for Momma, a
national debate rages over her silence. A religious movement awaits her
prophecy and celebrates her return. An anarchist group, Voices for the
Voiceless, cites Hannah as its inspiration. The nation comes unhinged
and the conflict spills into the streets when presidential candidates
chime in with their opinions on Hannah—patriotic visionary or dangerous
radical. A remnant still believes she is evil and seeks to dispatch her
from this world.
Hannah
stands at the intersection of anarchists and fundamentalists, between
power politics and an FBI investigation. All she wants is to find her
momma, a little peace and quiet, and maybe some pancakes.
One word would put an end to the chaos if Hannah can only find her voice.
Excerpt . . .
I hopped off her lap and ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth again, and brushed the devil out of them this time.
I crawled back into her lap, curled my lips up to show her how white and shiny they were, and exhaled my minty fresh breath for her to smell.
Her blue eyes sparkled behind her glasses like the biggest jewels in a treasure chest. "Oh lovely, what lovely teeth you have. You have your father's teeth."
I didn't have my father's teeth. His were still in his mouth, his lips closed tight over them. I'd kissed him goodnight last year at the church. Momma said he was going to sleep and would wake up with Jesus and the angels.
I didn't even have all of my own teeth. The two top front ones were gone, along with one on the bottom, so brushing the few I had left didn't take long. But I scrubbed them three times a day to make sure they were shiny and clean when I kissed Momma goodnight.
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Giveaway!!
The Author is giving away 5 copies of his collection of short stories throughout this tour. Enter below or at any of the stops in the blog tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Author's bio. . .
In addition to a career as a newspaper editor, publisher, and manager, I’ve
written fiction most of my life. The newspaper biz has taken my family and me
from Phoenix, Arizona,
to small towns in North Carolina and Texas, and from seven years in Washington,
D.C., to five years in Asia.
Born and raised a small-town kid, I’m as comfortable in Tokyo
or Tuna, Texas.
I now reside in a small community in Wisconsin
where I manage the business operations of a daily newspaper. The variety of
places I’ve lived and visited serve as settings for the characters who invade
my head.
I’ve had a dozen short stories published in several print anthologies and
e-zines, and several articles on the craft of writing fiction. My first novel, Hannah’s
Voice, debuted January 15, 2013, and two more novels are in the works for
2013-14.
I also edit fiction and non-fiction books for authors from around the world.
It helps that I’m fluent in five languages: U.S. English, U.K. English,
Canadian English, and Australian English, plus my native language, Texan.
AUTHOR CONTACT INFO:
In addition to a career as a newspaper editor, publisher, and manager, I’ve
written fiction most of my life. The newspaper biz has taken my family and me
from Phoenix, Arizona,
to small towns in North Carolina and Texas, and from seven years in Washington,
D.C., to five years in Asia.
Born and raised a small-town kid, I’m as comfortable in Tokyo
or Tuna, Texas.
I now reside in a small community in Wisconsin
where I manage the business operations of a daily newspaper. The variety of
places I’ve lived and visited serve as settings for the characters who invade
my head.
Buy Links:
Reader review . . .
Things have been going from bad to worse for six-year old Hannah. Her father passed away and her mother's actions are getting stranger. Their church is made up of some serious religious fanatics, and when half the church decides Hannah is demon-possessed and the other half believes she had a vision, all hell breaks loose. Hannah retreats behind a wall of silence until she's unsure if she can't speak, or won't. The officials step in and place Hannah in the foster care system, where she remains for twelve years. Meanwhile, fundamentalists on both sides continue to use her as a poster child for their political cause. All it would take to end the chaos is for Hannah to find her voice.
There are books that are interesting, and then there are books that you just can't put down. This is one of those books. This story will follow the reader long after they have closed the book for the last time. The political aspect, along with the religious aspect, combines with the subject of the foster care system to create a timely novel. Not to imply that it is serious from beginning to end; there are moments that are laugh-out-loud funny. Having been raised in the South, I've known people like Mrs. Buchanan and the Stovers. Fortunately, I've also known people like Brother Ronnie and Sheriff Dunleavy and his wife. As the author points out in the interview at the end of the book, this is not a Christian novel, but a secular novel with characters who are Christians, and those who claim to be Christian, while also containing characters who are not religious. This is a good reflection of real life. Something in Mr. Grindstaff's writing style is reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor. He captures the quirks of Southern characters while maintaining their humanity. It would have been easy to write so many of these as stereotypical comical buffoons, but he avoided the easy way out.
Excellent novel; may offend some of fundamentalist religious backgrounds; strong language.
5 stars
Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish and enter a link below if available or sign up in the comment section. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads to help you keep track!
Need some help finding titles to match the alphabet – Jandy’s Reading Room has a wonderful list to get you started.
Here is my list:
H HANNAH'S VOICE - ROB GRINDSTAFF
I ICONIC SPIRITS: AN INTOXICATING HISTORY - MARK SPIVAK
J
K KILLER RATINGS - LISA SEIDMAN
L TO LOVE A WOLF - BK WALKER
M MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER - ROBIN OLIVEIRA
N NEVER LET YOU GO - ERIN HEALY
O O! JACKIE - MERCEDES KING
P PERIL: FROM JACKBOOTS TO JACK BENNY - PEARL GOODMAN - 4 STARS
Q QUEEN OF THE AIR: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY AT THE CIRCUS - DEAN JENSEN
R RAISING CUBBY-JOHN ELDER ROBISON
S SECRETLY SMITTEN - COLLEEN COBLE, DENISE HUNTER, KRISTEN BILLERBECK, & DIANN HUNT
T THE POSTMISTRESS-SARAH BLAKE
U UNCONQUERED: THE SAGA OF COUSINS JERRY LEE LEWIS, JIMMY SWAGGART, AND MICKY GILLEY - J.D. DAVIS
V VANISHED-IRENE HANNON - 5 STARS
W WHEN THE HEART HEALS - ANN SHOREY - 4 STARS
X
Y
Z
I will be updating my list and will keep it posted on here. Check back to see what I've read, and comment and let me know when you join the challenge. Here's to a year of good reading!
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There are books that are interesting, and then there are books that you just can't put down. This is one of those books. This story will follow the reader long after they have closed the book for the last time. The political aspect, along with the religious aspect, combines with the subject of the foster care system to create a timely novel. Not to imply that it is serious from beginning to end; there are moments that are laugh-out-loud funny. Having been raised in the South, I've known people like Mrs. Buchanan and the Stovers. Fortunately, I've also known people like Brother Ronnie and Sheriff Dunleavy and his wife. As the author points out in the interview at the end of the book, this is not a Christian novel, but a secular novel with characters who are Christians, and those who claim to be Christian, while also containing characters who are not religious. This is a good reflection of real life. Something in Mr. Grindstaff's writing style is reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor. He captures the quirks of Southern characters while maintaining their humanity. It would have been easy to write so many of these as stereotypical comical buffoons, but he avoided the easy way out.
Excellent novel; may offend some of fundamentalist religious backgrounds; strong language.
5 stars
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
2013 A-Z Reading Challenge
Do you love to read? You know I do! Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book is hosting a reading challenge for 2013.This challenge will run from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2013.
You
can join anytime. It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to
read one book starting with every letter of the alphabet.
So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.
A - Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.
OR
B - Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Azalea Assault B- Blue Monday C – Crops and Robbers D – A Deadly Grind etc.
Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!
So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.
A - Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.
OR
B - Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Azalea Assault B- Blue Monday C – Crops and Robbers D – A Deadly Grind etc.
Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!
Ready to join??
Sign up at Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book and grab the button.
Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish and enter a link below if available or sign up in the comment section. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads to help you keep track!
Need some help finding titles to match the alphabet – Jandy’s Reading Room has a wonderful list to get you started.
Here is my list:
A AN ANGEL BY HER SIDE - RUTH REID - 4 stars
B
C CHRISTMAS WITH THE FIRST LADIES - COLLEEN CHRISTIAN BURKE
D THE DILEMMA OF CHARLOTTE FARROW- OLIVIA NEWPORT
E
F
G B
C CHRISTMAS WITH THE FIRST LADIES - COLLEEN CHRISTIAN BURKE
D THE DILEMMA OF CHARLOTTE FARROW- OLIVIA NEWPORT
E
F
H HANNAH'S VOICE - ROB GRINDSTAFF
I ICONIC SPIRITS: AN INTOXICATING HISTORY - MARK SPIVAK
J
K KILLER RATINGS - LISA SEIDMAN
L TO LOVE A WOLF - BK WALKER
M MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER - ROBIN OLIVEIRA
N NEVER LET YOU GO - ERIN HEALY
O O! JACKIE - MERCEDES KING
P PERIL: FROM JACKBOOTS TO JACK BENNY - PEARL GOODMAN - 4 STARS
Q QUEEN OF THE AIR: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY AT THE CIRCUS - DEAN JENSEN
R RAISING CUBBY-JOHN ELDER ROBISON
S SECRETLY SMITTEN - COLLEEN COBLE, DENISE HUNTER, KRISTEN BILLERBECK, & DIANN HUNT
T THE POSTMISTRESS-SARAH BLAKE
U UNCONQUERED: THE SAGA OF COUSINS JERRY LEE LEWIS, JIMMY SWAGGART, AND MICKY GILLEY - J.D. DAVIS
V VANISHED-IRENE HANNON - 5 STARS
W WHEN THE HEART HEALS - ANN SHOREY - 4 STARS
X
Y
Z
I will be updating my list and will keep it posted on here. Check back to see what I've read, and comment and let me know when you join the challenge. Here's to a year of good reading!
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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” ― Mae West
4 comments:
Insightful review...thanks for sharing...I too am from the South, and I enjoy stories that reflect characters that show some of the very interesting attributes of those I grew up with:) This seems like a enjoyable read and I will have to give it a try!
Thank you for your comment. I strongly recommend this book-it's great!
This sounds like a great book, I'll have to check it out. I couldn't help LOL when I read the 5 languages that Robb is fluent in.
Thanks for the very kind review, and for the comments. I hope y'all enjoy it. Let me know what you think.
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