Bread, Bags & Bullies: Surviving the 80's by Steven Manchester

Bread, Bags & Bullies: Surviving the 80’s. Steven Manchester. Luna Bella Press. November 2019. pb, 208 pp.; ASIN: B07YR894QP.

Those who grew up in the 1980’s are going to love this novel which describes the family of Herbie, Wally and Cockroach, three brothers who loved and tormented each other while growing up.  They grow up in a strict family where the rules are definite although somewhat out of the box of today’s norms. Steven Manchester is uniquely talented to capture the essences of a person (or family’s) strengths and weaknesses that is real and without artifice. It’s funny as well!

They’re definitely addicted to the Atari 2600 games with two joystick controllers with red buttons, paddle controllers and black game cartridges.  They love and hate the Combat or Air Sea Battle.  In moments of quiet they confess their deepest fears to each other.  They never miss TV shows such as Knots Landing, Donny and Marie, Tony Orlando and Dawn, the Lawrence Welk Show with the bubbles and corny music, and the always funny Carol Burnett Show. They’re thrilled with the music of Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, REO Speedwagon and Queen.  They know their family is far from The Brady Bunch TV family.  They also know they are poor but don’t worry too much about it.  Instead, one works as a newspaper delivery boy and others can’t wait their appropriate age to do the same.  They can’t wait for high school with the ability to go to concerts, earn money for a dream car like a Camaro, Pontiac Firebird or Trans Am and drag racing.  They’re obvious fans of the Lakers basketball team over the Celtics.  They’re into Motor Trend and Popular Mechanics magazines with an occasional forced foray into reading novels like To Kill a Mockingbird.  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is an irresistible movie that feeds their young imaginations.  MTV is starting to get rave reviews as well as numerous Billboard Chart idols.

Daily lessons are frequent but the largest one is to stand strong against bullies.  It’s believed that not facing fear will allow that fear to become a monster in one’s life, and so one of the brothers prepares to face one of his most formidable opponents on the school bus.  Mom and Dad are to be heard and obeyed.  The brothers may fight and rag on each other constantly but they are always there for each other in time of need, including when they have physical or emotional challenges.

Steven Manchester’s latest novel is a delightful look back to an age when families could name their challenges and meet them accordingly with love and toughness where appropriate.  Nicely crafted coming of age story, Steven Manchester!

Three Shoeboxes: A Novel by Steven Manchester

Three Shoeboxes: A Novel. Steven Manchester. Fiction Studio Books. Copyright June, 2018. pb. 262 pp.; ASIN #: Bo7BN465JD.  .

Jen and Mack are celebrating their 15^th wedding anniversary, and it’s clear they are still very much in love.  They love their three children as well and Mack knows how to be friend but more important mentor to their growing up.  On that special day of celebrating their relationship, they see an accident and Mack’s world spins totally out of control.  All of a sudden, he finds his chest tightening, his head aching, and feeling unable to catch a breath, along with sweats and a racing heart.  He ignores it initially but when it reoccurs several times, he goes to get help at the hospital.  There some insensitive nurses confirm behind the screen that he’s having panic attacks; they treat it like no big deal.  But it’s a very big, big deal that continues and even escalates.

Mack will eventually get help but not before his personality undergoes a dramatic change borne of fear and he winds up making his wife and children dread to be around him because they fear his drunken and sober rages.  Jen realizes she needs to protect her children and so she takes appropriate legal action.  Mack is at risk for losing his job.  So many losses but Mack finally surrenders and begins the process of healing he so desperately needs through help for his PTSD, alcoholism, and panic attacks.

No more about the plot which readers will find very intense.  What is remarkable about this brutally honest story is the expression of support and growth evident in the letters that Mack writes to his children, later to his wife, and those of his wife – all written but not sent until the perfect moment. Manchester’s ability to depict the deepest emotions realistically and poignantly is noteworthy.

One would like to hope this is a rare account but most of us know it’s not.  Whether the cause is war or a horrible event one experiences but represses, PTSD is an all too real, horrific state that can make or break a person unless one receives professional help.  Faith is easy until one enters an unbelievable state of hell and the road back or forward is wonderfully presented in this memorable, compassionate account.  Highly recommended – read it and pass it on to others.  Recognizing the symptoms is half of the healing process.  Once again, finely crafted, Steven Manchester!

The Thursday Night Club and Other Stories of Christmas Spirit by Steven Manchester

The Thursday Night Club and Other Stories of Christmas Spirit.  Steven Manchester. Fiction Studio Books. November 2017. 192 pp.  ISBN#: 9781945839160.

Izzy and Ava host a weekly Thursday Night Club get-together with Jessie Cabral, Ava, Randy and Kevin.  They’re College Senior students who work hard at their studies and play just as hard, goofy friends who love nothing better than a good prank on each other, harmless fun that lightens their work load. Some have risen from poverty and are paying their tuition by the skin of their teeth but they don’t focus much on the hardship part of it all.  They are loyal to each other and beyond that focusing on meeting the directions of their various professors.  One professor in particular is a philosophy teacher who is highly demanding but how isn’t specified.  Jessie Cabral is probably the only remarkable student among them, preferring to be out on the streets doing something kind for someone in need but never flaunting it in anyone’s face. 

 “Pay it forward” is a phrase that has been put into action over the last few years, but what this group agrees to do following an awful tragedy they are now living with will far exceed that temporary phase.  They will make another bet to see who can do the greatest good to another human being but they must remain anonymous. 

What follows is inventive, spontaneous, and a true blessing to each recipient of the deeds these students initiate. 

Two other stories are added to what was originally published as a novella that add to the reader’s experience of enjoying a true Christmas Spirit.  In A Christmas Wish, a grandmother teaches Brian and Steph that if they truly wish and envision that wish their dream will come true.  Brian is a miracle that embodies the truth of the Christmas Spirit, a man who was deemed unable to live any kind of meaningful life.  Steph has a newfound realization that she is afraid to see become reality.  Readers will love the outcome of these two situations and admire the true Christmas Spirit.

The Tin Foil Manger is about Nancy, an elderly woman in a nursing home whose children can’t bear to visit her and watch her as Alzheimer’s disease eats away her mind and body.  A caretaker of the home connects both Nancy and her two daughters to a time when Christmas memories were something that united the family with meaning and blessings.  These realities of a past life give Nancy and her daughters the meaning of Christmas that restores living in multiple, fond ways.

The Thursday Night Club… and two other stories is not only a perfect  holiday read but also one for every day of the year and years to follow.  A great read, may it inspire others to live a life with “purpose.”

Ashes by Steven Manchester

Ashes. Steven Manchester. The Story Plant. February 2017. 272 pp. ISBN#: 9781611882421.  

Two brothers, Jake and Tom Prendergast, who couldn’t possibly be more different, are about to take a life-transforming journey!  But first we meet them individually.  When we first meet Jake, he’s giving a “scared straight” speech to a bunch of juvenile delinquents.  The reader wants to think it’s all a bit of a stretch, but it doesn’t take long before we know he’s speaking about what he’s seen as a security officer in an adult prison.  No, it’s definitely not pretty!

Tom is a college professor who is annoyed to find out his father has died. The reader wonders immediately about what has elicited such disdain! 

Both brothers are called to their father’s lawyer’s office, only to hear the father is leaving them an envelope they may not open until they travel cross-country to spread his ashes.  If they refuse, they get nothing.  But then nothing is what their father always gave them, nothing but grief that is.

The journey is bittersweet indeed as Jake and Tom insult each other through half of the journey while they reminisce about their brutal father who wasn’t just happy at beating them but had to see blood to make him happy. Sadist extraordinaire!  But then the continuous clashes start to slightly alter as they find themselves reminiscing about their childhood and then later about their experiences as husbands and fathers. 

These interspersed tender moments begin to open the brothers toward each other, along with some very funny scenes as Tom gawks at his brother’s humongous appetite and Jake gapes at Tom’s snooty tastes in food and wine. There’s a lovely ending which the reader must experience without a spoiler and which almost makes one want to read it all over again!

Steven Manchester is great at presenting a simple plot but his real gift is on depicting the variations of temperament in characters in such a wonderfully moving manner.  One gets to know and love his characters no matter what the ups and downs of the conflict between them.

Finely crafted contemporary fiction once again, Steven Manchester – a MUST read that deserves the widest possible audience!

The Changing Season: A Novel by Steven Manchester

The Changing Season: A Novel. Steven Manchester. The Story Plant. February 2016. 276 pp.  ISBN#: 9781611882261.

Billy was a typical Senior in high school, about to graduate, planning to go to college but totally oblivious as to what he was to study or do with the rest of his life.  His one obsessive love is his elderly dog, Jimmy, with whom he shares camping and other adventures.  Billy and his friends, Charlie and Mark get together frequently in Billy’s smelly, unkempt bedroom to play video games.  They are quite content.  Charlie and Mark have college plans for the future and are thinking of careers.  Billy seems totally out of the loop – at first!

The night of graduation, the key note speaker insists that the students will have to face the responsibility and consequences of their actions and decisions; Billy heard it all as more “blah, blah, blah,” never realizing his world was about to change.

Billy accepts a job as an assistant in a dog shelter which he enjoys due to the help and conversations he has with a mentor there. She’s realistic without being preachy which clears the way for Billy to truly “listen.”  On the other hand, Billy’s friend, Charlie, isn’t listening to anyone and he really needs to take advice.  In a fit of rage and jealousy, he acts out a rash action which shatters the world of a family.  Rather than tell the truth, Charlie buries himself in self-pity and fear.  While that happens, Billy finally meets a girl, Vicki, with whom he wholeheartedly falls in love.  She changes his world over the summer, but Billy is broken when an act of omission on his part makes Vicki drop him like a hot potato.

One could say more, but this is too amazing a story to ruin by dropping plot snippets.  Suffice to say, this is, like all of Steven Manchester’s novels, a terrific read.  While there is a somewhat contrived quality to the story, one still roots for the major and minor characters and is always deeply moved by the challenges and outcomes therein. Readers will love and recommend this story of love, loyalty, betrayal and truth!

Gooseberry Island: A Novel by Steven Manchester

Gooseberry Island: A Novel. Steven Manchester. The Story Plant. January 2015. 300 pp.  ISBN#: 9781611881806.

In the perfect story, a man and women fall in love and live happily ever after! But life, in reality, throws its curve ball into every mix and couples need to surmount one or more challenges, to say the least.  David McClain and Lindsey meet on the night before David returns to his Ranger duties in the terribly threatening land of Afghanistan.  Previously, David has survived warfare as he’s very, very good at what he does.  David’s psyche, however, has changed since he fell in love.  In some ways, his relationship with Lindsey is the only hope he experiences in the nightmarish daily activities where fellow soldiers are kill or are killed or wounded.  Somehow now his sensitivity is enhanced and this tour is grossly different!

One of David’s buddies was constantly talking about how he needed to get back to his little daughter and wife who meant the world to him, proven by how often he pulled out their picture before and after a successful mission. But one day the work is interrupted and the buddy loses both his legs from an IED (improvised explosive device) and has a shattered body and psyche.  David’s job is to support his men and so he does on this occasion, only the mind and heart are the last to catch up with the easy platitudes offered to the wounded warrior. 

Eventually David will suffer his own physical trauma, but that is the least of his problems as once he returns to the United States worse follows!  This then is the story Steven Manchester, who actually served in the War in Afghanistan, has always wanted to tell.  For although American citizens have heard the term PTSD frequently, most really don’t have a clue about the horror it is to live with the memories, physical and mental reactions that accompany years of battle. The constant state of alertness required to avoid being killed by a sniper or awaiting IED is not left when one is homeward bound to the good ol’ USA.  Steven would have you read this novel to truly understand what the bang of a muffler or screeching brakes, etc. does to a wounded warrior. It’s a brutal recovery and one in which soldiers like David need constant support and retraining. It’s the test of love to see whether Lindsey will stay away as David commands or find a way to be there for her love in the ongoing nightmare of his life. Gooseberry Island is the perfect idyllic setting for healing to begin!

Steven Manchester tells David’s story realistically but without any extra drama as his story has enough horror in it for a lifetime.  This is the world being experienced by thousands of American soldiers, as well as the story of those Afghans trying to bring freedom and lack of fear to their daily lives.  Stunning read that needs to be read by Americans, no matter what political beliefs are held regarding whether or not we should have been or are serving in this non-stop war raging since 911. A MUST read!

The Thursday Night Club - A Tale of Christmas Spirit - a Novella by Steven Manchester

The Thursday Night Club – A Tale of Christmas Spirit – a novella.  Steven Manchester. The Story Plant. November 2014. 64 pp.  ISBN#: 9781611882032.

Izzy and Ava host a weekly Thursday Night Club get-together with Jessie Cabral, Ava, Randy and Kevin.  They’re College Senior students who work hard at their studies and play just as hard, goofy friends who love nothing better than a good prank on each other, harmless fun that lightens their work load. Some have risen from poverty and are paying their tuition by the skin of their teeth but they don’t focus much on the hardship part of it all.  They are loyal to each other and beyond that focusing on meeting the directions of their various professors.  One professor in particular is a philosophy teacher who is highly demanding but how isn’t specified.  Jessie Cabral is probably the only remarkable student among them, preferring to be out on the streets doing something kind for someone in need but never flaunting it in anyone’s face. 

We meet them one Thursday night when they bet $.75 each to see who can play the funniest prank, specifying that such a plan is not to cause harm or hurt anyone else’s feelings. The game is on and they all do a great job which the reader will be sure to chuckle at.  But the laughs are soon to end dramatically when a tragedy strikes one of their group.  It will change their lives forever and many, many other lives because of what follows!

“Pay it forward” is a phrase that has been put into action over the last few years, but what this group agrees to do following the tragedy they are now living with will far exceed that temporary phase.  They will make another bet to see who can do the greatest good to another human being but they must remain anonymous. 

What follows is inventive, spontaneous, and a true blessing to each recipient of the deeds these students initiate.  To tell all would be a spoiler unworthy of this Christmas gift given to us by Steven Manchester.  One little hint – would you donate part of your body to give life to another – while you are alive?

The Thursday Night Read… is not only a perfect  holiday read but also one for every day of the year and years to follow.  A great read, may it inspire others to live a life with “purpose.”

Pressed Pennies: A Novel by Steven Manchester

Pressed Pennies: A Novel.  Steven Manchester. The Story Plant. May 2014. 355 pp.  ISBN#: 9781611881356.

One morning Rick wakes up and realizes just how miserable he really is. He’s got everything but nothing, good job, plenty of money, the best home and summer home, and a wife who doesn’t have the time of day for him.  Her only comment when he tries to discuss their growing separation is to tell him to quit moaning and grow up, facing the reality that hard work is the foundation of their grand lifestyle.  That just about finishes it for Rick who decides to divorce his wife; but that even reinforces his emptiness and the shallowness of his connection to those outside of his lavish, opulent circle.  Yes it seems change needs to happen and soon!

Abby has also gotten divorced from her ever-drinking husband but the pain of his presence or lack of presence is gradually tearing their daughter Paige apart.  Thank goodness that Abby and Paige, however, have a strong bond that hopefully nothing can break apart.  For Paige is hurting in ways that Abby can only heal with her maternally deep, deep love. 

Abby moves and meets Rick and the rest of the story is about their memories, their increasing love for each other, and a conflict they never imagined could happen.  Does the future hold a life together or are they forever doomed to loneliness and lack of focus with the rest of humanity. 

Steven Manchester has written another best seller – it’s got just the right amount of passion and romance – lovely and awesome!  But it’s also got just the right amount of very real conflict that is a huge obstacle to the dreams and desires of Rick and Abby, without being over the top or excessively melodramatic.  It’s a story that could happen and probably does in any small town or big city home and that makes this novel all the more tender and special.  You continue to dazzle readers with your sensitive and graceful writing – don’t stop, Steven Manchester!!!! Gutsy and beautiful novel!!!

The Rockin' Chair: Family Is The Foundation for Everything by Steven Manchester

The Rockin’ Chair: Family Is The Foundation for Everything. Steven Manchester. The Story Plant.  June 2013. 272 pp. pbk. ISBN #: 9781611880670.

John McCarthy is mourning the upcoming loss of the love of his life, Edie, who has Alzheimer’s disease and is rapidly fading.  No memories but that of her childhood, and even those distorted, she lives in fear and recognizes no one. After she passes away, John calls his only son, Hank, and his three grandchildren home. He knows that the entire family is wounded but he also knows that this familial love is everything and not to be compared with anything else in life.

Hank, however, wants nothing to do with John initially, as all he remembers is a critical, harsh parent who showed very little love and who treated him like a child even when he became a responsible adult.  The wounds are so deep the reader will wonder if even a Herculean effort on John’s part can mend the pain that Hank washes away in beer.  Hank’s eldest son is a war hero but holds a secret that shames him into paralysis.  The next son has lost his love through betrayal and doesn’t know if he can move forward to be the great writer he has dreamed of becoming for years.  And finally, Hank’s daughter is a drug addict and alcoholic who is ashamed of her life and the poor mother she believes herself to be.

The pages fly by in the process of confrontation, grudging small moments of agreement and relishing some few fond memories, and a journey of healing that will melt the hardest of hearts!  For there are things about John that neither his son nor grandchildren know, some to be revealed before his death and some afterwards. 

A new chapter is forged for the McCarthy family, one forged from excruciating pain interwoven with tender scenes of understanding and reconciliation. 

Steven Manchester is master of writing a heart-throbbing family story, one that always satisfies readers because it refuses to descend into a maudlin atmosphere and doesn’t brook foolish talk.  It thrives because it is the crafting of a story that elicits the deepest wishes of head and heart for all readers, indeed for all humanity, a sense of family, a real sense of what “home” could be. The Rockin’ Chair undeniably deserves wide acclaim!

Good Night Brian by Steven Manchester

Good Night Brian. Steven Manchester. The Story Plant. January 2013. 308 pp. e-book. ISBN #: 9781611880625.

“Momma” is really Brian Mauretti’s grandmother and Joan is his mother.  They have faced the normal ups and downs of life but now are facing a devastating disease in Brian.  As a baby, Brian had difficulty handling formula and was put on a special formula that turned out to have devastating effects on certain babies.  The product had not been properly tested and not examined by the FDA, with the result that the lack of certain ingredients left children with the inability to speak, walk, and do all the normal things babies grow into with time and love.  

But Momma, an elderly tough grandmother with huge faith, insists that doctors know nothing and one must have faith that Brian will be and do things that the doctors insist are impossible.

The rest of the novel is exciting, tender, gritty, and determined plans set by Momma to make those “hallmarks” of childhood happen, albeit at a different time from other children’s developmental stages.  The reader celebrates every uncertain but strengthening step after step after step.  One wonders where Momma finds the strength to stay on course.  Brian’s siblings, especially Ryan, and cousins are part of the program and are always learning lessons from Mamma about believing and doing the right thing.  It must be said that these lessons are told realistically and without sounding soppy or dogmatic.

Brian’s parents have a harder time believing, and this tale also concerns their painful conflicts and celebrations of each act by Brian that defies the predictions of the medical world.  Their part in the story is so very real and understandable to the reader.  Not everyone has superhuman faith and that’s okay as well in this author’s depiction of this average but unique family.

Although some readers don’t like overly emotional stories, this is an emotional story that conveys mostly grace, dignity, strength and truly unconditional love!  Wonderful fiction written by a great storyteller!

Twelve Months by Steven Manchester

Twelve Months. Steven Manchester. Published by The Story Plant. August 2012. 326 pp. ISBN #: 9781611880533.

Don DiMarco considers himself happy with his life. loving his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.  Now he suddenly learns he is about to lose all because he has terminal cancer.  Heads up - most stories in this mode have a definable morbid mood present below the surface.  That mood is noticeably absent in this story about a brave man who begins how to love life and the relationships that have blessed it so far and continue to do so!

So Don, and his gracious wife assisting, begin a new life, planning and living Don's "bucket list."  First, he woos his wife again and romances her to a new wedding.  This is followed by traveling to places he always wanted to visit, things like car racing and other exciting adventures that the couple embraces and so much more that are the heart of this joyous story.

As the disease progresses, it doesn't slow Don and his wife down at all.  As well as doing pleasurable things, Don recognizes the need to forgive and acts on it in a scene that could go wrong just as much as it might turn out perfectly beautiful.

Most of all, he makes sure to speak truth to all he knows, leaving a legacy that is more about his realization of what really matters rather than just seeking to be egotistically remembered.

Twelve Months is a beautiful, heart-warming, and necessary read for all, especially those caught up in the monotonous schedule of work, food, TV (or other techno gadgets), et al.  Steven Manchester writes about life as it really is and really could be!  Terrific!