The Blue-Collar Bookseller, Last of the Breed

 

I'm back in the blue, blue jeans that is. I love bookselling, but my family needs more cash flow, so off to work  I go. Working with my hands is in my blood. I come from a long line of manual workers, from farm to factory to trucking. We all love reading.

My grandmother had worked so many years in the glass plant that new management thought she came with the place. Once upon a time, my grandma, my mom, my uncle, and myself were all working at the plant at the same time. We worked different shifts, different departments, but all part of the process.

I'd read on my breaks, or "benny" as they were often called in factory slang. I would also read before my shift. If you were to relieve someone, it was rude to be late, that person wants to go home. So, I'd be early so I wouldn't be late, and read a little before shift. Often I joke, that I got more reading done in the factory than I ever got in as a bookseller.

When I started back to work in September of 2021, over fifteen years since my last factory position, I also started bringing a book to work. The question was, "what do I bring?"

People do judge you by the books you read. I didn't want something too intellectual, too weird, too controversial, or too naughty. Something I could enjoy, but almost anyone else could as well.

It's not hard with all my years of bookselling experience. This column is going to give you solid suggestions that you can use for yourself, or for the casual reader in your life.

The first book I chose was, "Last of the Breed" written by the storyteller of the American West, Louis L'Amour. L'Amour was a favorite of my father's. I was never a huge reader of Westerns, but I remember buying this for Christmas in the late '80s for my dad. It was by one of his favorite authors, and something I might want to read too.

I'm glad I picked up this re-issue of this L'Amour classic you might have missed. It starts with U.S. Air Force Major, Joe Mack. His experimental aircraft is forced down in Soviet Russia. He escapes from prison, but he's in the vastness of Siberia.

Joe Mack has to find his way out of the wilderness and survive all without revealing his presence to those that pursue him, including a legendary native tracker. Joe is going to have to use all his training as well as the woodcraft taught to him by his grandfather.

I loved this book. Written when the Cold War with the Soviets was still hot. It was a simpler time and it's a simple plot. Joe is in and he's got to get out. Does he? Read the damn book and find out. If you love action, you won't be disappointed.

Back to work tip: If you don't have a locker, try wrapping your book in a plastic baggie for tucking into your lunch bucket.

Kevin Coolidge is a full-time factory worker and a part-time bookseller at From My Shelf Books & Gifts in Wellsboro, Pensylvania. When he's not working, he's writing. He's also a children's author and the creator of The Totally Ninja Raccoons, a children's series for reluctant readers, visit his website at kevincoolidge.org