Some things to think about, some things to ponder, some things to do

Friend of Sea Wolf Books recommendation from Bob—

Thomas Bell's novel "Out of This Furnace" (1941) tells the story of several generations

of Slovak immigrants in Pennsylvania. It is not the common and idealized story of immigrants,

but the flesh-and-blood story of people who worked on the railroads and in the steel mills. A

reader can cry and laugh through the book and share the hopes of the steel workers and their

families in the closing chapters. My family were not Slovak immigrants, and they did not work

in the steel mills, but there is so much there from my grandparents' and parents' generations that

I could easily locate something of my family's story there. The book can be raw in sections, but

it is always honest. I reread passages from the book at certain times of the year every year as an act

of memory and of thanking and honoring those who have passed on. The book is one of the most popular published by University of Pittsburgh Press and is used in some college classes. Attempts

have been made to turn it into a film as well.

Available through Sea Wolf Books at: https://bookshop.org/a/87294/9780822952732