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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2008 > August > 17 > Entry
nurture versus nature
THE TURNAROUND by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown)
George Pelecanos starts his latest novel, “The Turnaround,” in 1972. Alex Pappas is thumbing a ride to work at his father’s diner in Washington, D.C.
Alex sees The Rolling Stones on their 1972 concert tour. The opening act is Stevie Wonder.
In 1972, I hitchhiked from Des Moines to Knoxville, Tenn., to catch that same tour. Pelecanos had me right there.
This nostalgia trip ends suddenly when Pelecanos brings us to the scene of a crime. Alex rides along in a car with two of his friends. They decide to drive into a black neighborhood and do something incredibly stupid. The three white youths encounter three black youths along the road, and an ugly racial incident occurs.
In the chaos that ensues we are not quite sure what happens. Somebody pulls a gun. A boy dies. Another suffers a horrific injury. That nostalgic sense of 1972 fades into the rear-view mirror like some hideous dream.
The remainder of “The Turnaround” occurs in the present day. Alex is 35 years older and he runs his father’s diner now. One of his sons has recently been killed in Iraq. Alex takes his leftover desserts to the VA Hospital for the vets who are there recovering from their wounds.
“The Turnaround” presents issues that are vital to Pelecanos, who told me that “Alex is probably the most autobiographical character I’ve ever written.”
The book is dedicated to a family friend who died in Iraq. The author’s father once owned a diner in D.C.
He explained: “I’ve been to the VA Hospital here in D.C. I’ve talked to a lot of veterans who have been in previous wars including the first Gulf War. They get forgotten. These people, unless we keep an eye on the ball and just keep talking about this, will be in a sense forgotten, too, because we’ll be on to the next war and the focus will be on that. But they’ve got to live their lives. So we have to really make sure we keep thinking about them.”
While he is at the hospital, Alex encounters a man who recognizes him. He is one of the fellows who was involved in that tragic incident.
“The Turnaround” presents an object lesson in the power of redemption and the importance of how a person is raised. Pelecanos believes that “anybody who is who they are got there for a reason.”
Pelecanos wrote for the popular TV series “The Wire.” He told me about his latest project.
“I wrote for a year on this show called ‘The Pacific.’ … We follow a group of Marines from the beginning of the war all the way through all the island campaigns to the end. That’s going to be on HBO in 2010. I wrote a couple of hours of that.
“It’s produced by (Steven) Spielberg and (Tom) Hanks. It’s sort of a sequel to “Band of Brothers.”
For Pelecanos, it’s deeply personal. He said: “I did it for my father.”
My interview with Pelecanos felt deeply personal too. Like Pelecanos, I had a father who fought in the Pacific with the Marines. This book resonated with me on many different levels.
Vick mickunas
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By victor mickunas
August 18, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this
A buddy of mine in Knoxville offered me 2 Stones tickets if I could find a way to get there. My friend Steve and I told our parents that we “had a ride” to Tennessee. We were being somewhat disingenous since our “ride” was predicated upon sticking our thumbs out alongside the highway. We were minors so we took the precaution of obtaining notes from our mothers indicating that we were being allowed to travel to Knoxville. Steve’s dad was suspicious and he insisted on driving us over to our “friend’s” house to check things out. Since this “friend” did not exist we had to think fast. We told him to go to the house where two of our college aged friends lived. When we showed up there we said to the guy who was home, “hey, we’re already for you to drive us to Tennessee to see the Rolling Stones” he took one look at Steve’s frowning father and immediately went along with the charade. Steve’s dad eventually bought the act and went home. We waited for a bit then went down to the freeway to begin our adventure. My pal Steve is now a doctor in Sonoma. The notes from our mothers came in rather handy. A Highway Patrol officer in Missouri stopped us and asked if we were runaways? When we showed him the notes from our mothers he was astonished. We had a swell trip and the concert was amazing-Mick Taylor was still with the Stones on guitar. “Those were the days my friend. We thought they’d never end….”By Blowfly
August 18, 2008 9:52 AM | Link to this
You hitched to Knoxville in 1972? I assume you parents didn’t know about that. Reminds me of an ill-fated trip when I was 14 to see the Dead, no one was old enough to drive but that didn’t stop us. We all made it back but the car didn’t. I loved The Wire, I thought it was the best TV show I’ve ever seen. David Simons’ new mini-series on HBO Generation Kill is great as well. I’ll have to check out this book. Sounds good.