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    Jo Joe: a Black Bear, Pennsylvania story
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    Jo Joe: a Black Bear, Pennsylvania story
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    Jo Joe: a Black Bear, Pennsylvania story
    Ebook386 pages3 hours

    Jo Joe: a Black Bear, Pennsylvania story

    By Sally Wiener Grotta

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    As a child, Judith Ormand was the only Jew — and the only Black — in a small insular Pennsylvania mountain village where she was raised by her white Christian grandparents. Now, she must reluctantly break her vow to never return to the town she learned to hate. During her one week visit, she buries and mourns her beloved grandmother, is forced to deal with the white boy who cruelly broke her heart, and is menaced by an old bully who threatens worse. But with her traumatic discovery of a long buried secret, Judith finds more questions than answers about the prejudice that scarred her childhood.

    A free Study Guide for Jo Joe, for book clubs, teachers and other book discussion groups is available from the publisher Pixel Hall Press.

    About Black Bear, Pennsylvania

    Jo Joe.is set in the fictional Pocono Mountains village of Black Bear, Pennsylvania. Black Bear was created as a literary folie à deux by Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta. Both Daniel and Sally are dipping into the same pool of invented locale and characters to write a series of separate stories and novels that will eventually paint a full picture of the diversity of life and relationships in a small mountain village. However, every Black Bear story stands alone, as a separate story that doesn’t require knowing anything about the town from previous stories.

    The first Black Bear story was Honor a novella by Daniel Grotta. Both Jeff Smith and his curmudgeonly father-in-law AH Engelhardt from Honor, play key roles in Jo Joe. Daniel Grotta’s novel Black Bear One, about the adventures, foibles and complicated relationships of the town’s volunteer ambulance corps, will be published in 2015. Members of the ambulance crew include Jeff Smith from Honor and Joe Anderson and Rabbi David of Jo Joe.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPixel Hall Press
    Release dateAug 30, 2014
    ISBN9780988387157
    Unavailable
    Jo Joe: a Black Bear, Pennsylvania story
    Author

    Sally Wiener Grotta

    An award-winning journalist and author, Sally Wiener Grotta is the consummate storyteller. Her work reflects her deep humanism and appreciation for the poignancy of life. Ms. Grotta has written many hundreds of articles, columns and reviews for scores of glossy magazines, newspapers and online publications. A popular speaker on creativity, writing and photography, she has authored numerous non-fiction books. Her fiction includes the novel "The Winter Boy."

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    Reviews for Jo Joe

    4/5

    30 ratings18 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I was certainly not expecting for this book to be as "meaty" as it is: with a slow start and an obvious romantic conflict, I was expecting a sophisticated "chick lit" piece. I could not have been more wrong. Although there is some heavy handedness (Judith's and Gramma's stubbornness; Joe's lumbering passivity; long allusions to a dark secret), the book deftly broaches some tough issues with much sensitivity and forwardness, from racism to violence to rape. The strong emotions that permeate through the book all make sense and are tempered by skillful use of religion, anchoring rituals and ancient wisdom into modernity and showing their true meaning. Although an atheist, I found myself curious to know more about the rites and prayers and found certain passages from Gramma's funeral to the wake and Friday sabbath a great learning experience which gave me a new appreciation for the comfort and sense of community religion can bring. Finally, while I was at first confused by Judith's multiple backgrounds (a bit far fetched perhaps?), it became clearer and turned to be part of the book's charm, navigating through so many cultures (the French was generally good although a couple of expressions are not very used anymore). I definitely did enjoy this novel and found myself engrossed in both the storyline and emotional content.A word about the font: I found it very difficult to read. While it might look nice on the printed page, I found that the electronic reader shrunk the letters quite a bit; with my poor eyesight, I struggled even at full zoom.
    • 5/5
      It is an amazing perceptive story about Judith a woman in her thirties which's ancestry is manifold and therefore has to fight for her place among the people she should belong to. Because of her grandma's death she is going back to the little village where she has sworn never to set foot again. Judith is black, Jewish, French, American and African. She lived there during her teenage and had to flee after she has been raped.Back at the village with a lot of hate and unsolved problems she met all her predators, the hatred, the unspoken truth but also some new people which are giving her support and love. She has to learn that her grandma was a person which has been pulling the strings of everybody especially those of her beloved ones and unfortunately not for the best of them. Nobody could stop her and a cousin backed her. Finally, he is telling all her failures to Judith.It was a fast-paced reading and gripping until the very last page.
    • 4/5
      Jo JoeJudith Ormand has resolved never to return to her childhood home town, Black Bear, where, as the only mixed race girl in the town, she suffered abuse and torment at the hands of her peers, and rejection from her only friend. But when her beloved grandmother dies, she is forced to return to settle the estate.This is the story of her experiences back in that once hostile environment, where she learns the truth behind some unexplained incidents, faces her demons and achieves acceptance of the changed attitudes, putting the past behind her and looking forward, despite a traumatic incident which takes place there.I enjoyed this book, although I think the 'happy ever after' ending was perhaps a bit too tidy.
    • 5/5
      ***TRIGGER WARNING: Rape scene and attempted rape scene***This beautifully written piece of fiction reads as though it's the author's own memoir. There were several instances in which I thought Judith was the author, not Sally Wiener Grotta.Join Judith Ormand, a biracial woman who returns to the small town that she grew up in, Black Bear, Pennsylvania, a town of biogtry and hatred. Judith is back in town for her grandmother's funeral, where she must confront not only the prejudices of other villagers but the also the prejudices that she didn't realize she held against the people of Black Bear. The ending to this ultimately humbling tale brought tears to my eyes. I am eager to check out Wiener Grotta's husband's companion novella, Honor.
    • 4/5
      A Black Bear novel.I really enjoyed Sally Weiner Grotta's style of writing and was quickly immersed in this novel, not least because of its underlying issue of race relations. Unfortunately, what let it down, for me, was the slightly weak and rather predictable denouement. Although I had to wait to see how the author would actually achieve her ending, it was becoming obvious by half way through, in which direction we were heading.Judith, or Jo, was the daughter of a black Jewish father and a white Christian mother. When the marriage split up, she remained with her mother until her mother's death, when she moved to an insular Pennsylvanian town, known as Black Bear, to live with her grandparents. Here, her colour and religious views made her was the butt of jokes and bullying. However, her childhood would have been even more difficult, had it not been for the support of Joe, a well built boy whom no-one messed with.So why did she leave Black Bear, vowing never to return? And who sent the anonymous letter, calling her back when her grandmother died?Judith returned with just a week to clear out the house and put it on the market so she could leave it, and all the unpleasant memories behind her for ever. Each of the chapters covers a day in the week, as she races to complete her task.There were some wonderful characterisations and the people of Black Bear felt very real. I also enjoyed the interesting descriptions of Jewish rituals, particularly surrounding the death of Judith's grandmother.The author and her husband are both writers, using Black Bear as the centre of their novels and short stories. I find this a fascinating concept and will certainly be interested to read more of their work in the future.
    • 5/5
      I acquired this e-book for my Kindle as a freebie from LibraryThing.It is truly riveting, read in nearly one sitting. The story of Judith Ormand who, after 17 years, returns to the small village where she was raised by her grandmother - Black Bear, PA. She is the only black person in town and has been through an incredible life of hate and bigotry. Excellent character development and story line. Thanks to the author, Sally Wiener Grotto - hope to see more from her.
    • 5/5
      Judith Ormond returns to her home town after 17 years away as her grandmother has died. Many of the memories Judith has of the town are not very good as she was black, Jewish, French, and American in an essentially white Christian town. On top of everything, her grandmother's will leaves a large portion of her estate to Joe Anderson, a man her grandmother had always thought the worst of, and used to be Judith's best friend. Judith must stop this from happen.Right from the start I was gripped by the book. The characters were strong and the theme catching. It deals with religion, racism and hate. I very much enjoyed reading this book and recommend it.
    • 5/5
      I truly enjoyed this book. It is about a black, Jewish girl, Judith Ormond, raised by her grandparents in a small town in Pennsylvania. She left the town 17 years earlier, but returns for the funeral of her grandmother. Through Judith's memories of her past and scenes from the present, we get to know Judith as she is today and what she went through in the past. The book is extremely well written and is about love, hate,and prejudice. The story grips you, and I found it hard to put down. I am a very slow reader. but ready this in 2 days. I would highly recommend it!!
    • 5/5
      Judith Ormand is a mixed race Jewish woman. After her mother died, she was raised in a mountain village in Pennsylvania by her white Christian grandparents. Sally Wiener Grotta's novel, Jo Joe, opens with Judith's return to her grandparents home after a seventeen year absence. Her grandmother had recently died and she needs to settle the estate. She allows herself one week. The experiences of the twelve years Judith lived with her grandparents seriously impacted her life. With the exception of one boy, Joe Anderson, she was tormented by her classmates. He became her protector and her friend. One day, even he turned against her for reasons she did not understand. Judith left to attend University in Paris. Prior to leaving, her grandmother told her to never return to their village. Even though Judith is puzzled, she agrees to this. However, the circumstances necessitate her return. The contents of her grandmother's will are shocking and Judith is determined to uncover what motivated her grandmother's final wishes.With skill and sensitivity the author draws the reader into both the past and present lives of Judith. As Judith goes from room to room of her former home we are there with her. The detail and description of Judith's memories provide a vivid picture of the person she became. It is sometimes said that our memories may define us. When Judith learns the truth about her grandmother's reasons for the contents of the will she realizes her past was not exactly what she thought it was. She has to learn who she is and where does she go from here? This both a moving and memorable book. I recommend reading it.I received this book free of charge from Pixel Hall Press and I give this review of my own free will.
    • 4/5
      I'm still trying to decide what I thought of this book. Overall, I loved the style of writing and I liked the premise of the book.Jo Joe tells the story of Juduth Ormand, a French-American-Black-Jewish woman. Her mother was a Christian from a small town in Pennsylvania who left and married a black Frenchman. When they divorced she moved to New York with her young daughter where they lived until the mother was killed by being hit by a car. Judith then went to live in the small town with her grandparents, Black Bear Pennsylvania where she experienced both racism and anti-semitism. After high school, she returns to France for university and made a promise to her grandmother to never return to Black Bear. That promise is broken when her grandmother dies and she goes for the funeral and to deal with dividing the assets. I think my biggest frustration with the book was that several plots were raised but none went completely deep enough for my taste. I would have loved more detail about the mother and the grandparents as well as the French father. Perhaps there will be a sequel to further explain things!I did like that there is apparently a connection with another book by a different author (who I think is her husband) about the same town and the same characters. I haven't read that book but may have to look into it.
    • 2/5
      I had a really difficult time liking this book, though I much wanted to. The writing was adequate - lots of descriptive passages, decent narrative, good characterization for the most part - but much of it felt forced in a way, as if this book were written in a class about "what makes good writing" and this was the final project designed to show off all of the patented "good writing" techniques.Perhaps the biggest problem for me was that the story was boring. Some of the plot twists felt forced, and even worse, they were painfully obvious. There is constant, hit-you-over-the-head-with-it foreshadowing throughout, so that the ending and even the path to get to the ending is not at all a surprise. The big "shocker" revelation about one of the key characters is not a shock at all, and so the protagonist's abrupt change of heart is not believable. It's okay for what it is, but unfortunately I didn't think it was very much.
    • 5/5
      I was granted the opportunity to read this as an early review. This is such a great read. The book played out for me like I was watching a film. The emotions in this book are felt through the pages. Jo Joe is a book that should be used for discussion. Love, hate, bigotry, forgiveness, racism, and redemption are issues we should discuss. Young and old, rich and poor, black or white, Christian or Jew, we can all learn from each other. Sally Wiener Grotta's book is just a starting block.
    • 5/5
      I won this as an early review and absolutely loved it! So well written, the story was moving and detailed....I could picture the farm, the town, the people....sad when it ended.
    • 4/5
      I received this as an Early Reviewer's copy and it took me a bit to get into it. This was quite the story about Racism, Love, loss, forgiveness. It also had such great detail that I could actually picture the location and wished I was watching it as a movie. Judith Ormand, a mixed race Jewish Girl, grew up in a variety of places, after her parents separation she was with her mother, then moved with her father for a short period after her mother was killed but was basically pushed out because her father had no room for her with his new life. So she ended up growing up in Black Bear Pennsylvania, with her granma and granmpa on their farm.Judith (Jo) fell for Joe while growing up on the farm and Granma had her own agenda and didn't feel it was correct or in Jo's best interest to be with Joe and convinced Joe of this without Jo knowing. Joe liked Jo and protected her until such a time he was convinced that it was better for Jo to do what Granma said. Then Joe acted like most of the rest of the town and kids Jo was growing up with a racist.Granma convinced Jo (Judith) to go far away and never come back to Black Bear and Judith never did until Granma passed away and there were things to handle. Upon Judith's return her resentment toward Joe and of course his brother Wayne whom had done horrific things to her when she was younger held her back from wanting to stay very long and she wanted to get rid of the farm as quickly as possible. She came to find out that her Gram had done somethings with the farm and properties they owned that were very unexpected she had give care over to her enemy Joe Anderson. Judith was determined to find out what in the world her grandma was thinking and how Joe came to be so much a part of her grandma's life that he was even caring for her money in her last days of her life. After a long awaited story from old friends and some explanation Do Jo and Joe become at least friends again or are the separated for ever. A must read to find out.
    • 4/5
      When Judith Ormand ("Jo") left Black Bear, Pennsylvania 17 years ago, she vowed to never return. Born of a white mother and with Senegalese ancestry on her father's side, Judith's appearance causes a stir in this quaint Pocono village. Not only does the color of her skin set her apart, but also her Jewish faith hearkened from her father. Following her parents' divorce and her mother's untimely death, Judith winds up living with her maternal grandparents in Black Bear. Her grandparents and their ancestors have lived on the Schmoyer Farm's many acres for over a century.Schoolmate Joe Anderson becomes Judith's protector when prejudices threaten her safety at school. More than that, Joe becomes Judith's friend and constant companion. Around the Schmoyer farm, Joe's like part of the family. Judith and Joe adopt the moniker "Jo Joe" for themselves as they spend their time on the farm building a treehouse, skinny dipping in the lake and ultimately embarking on a romance. With no warning signs, this all abruptly comes to an end. In addition, a horrific event occurs that prompts Judith to leave town as soon as she's old enough to do so.Judith was 17 when she escaped Black Bear, and it is now 17 years later. She receives a mysterious phone call telling her she must come home (to Black Bear). When she does so, her interaction with long-living neighbors of her Grandparents is quite precious to read. While Judith devoted her life to an African cause on the other side of the world, she was never notified of her Grandfather's death. However, her journey to Black Bear this time is to tie up loose ends for good in the aftermath of her Grandmother Martha Schmoyer's death. Judith plans on spending no more than a week to pack up family treasures and settle matters of the estate before leaving Black Bear forever. Of course, dark secrets of the past haven't gone away and threaten Judith's safety.One of the best attributes of this book was the lovingly described Jewish rituals and prayers performed by the local Rabbi and his wife. This charming couple provided friendship and much comfort to Judith in the aftermath of her Grandmother's death. Although Judith's Grandmother was not Jewish and attended the local Moravian Church, Rebecca (the Rabbi's wife) employed Jewish customs such as sitting Shiva and lighting the Shiva candle for Judith's benefit.Ultimately, this fine book, with its deliciously descriptive passages of life on the Schmoyer farm and suspense simmering throughout each page, is quite interesting to read.
    • 5/5
      What an emotional story that I had to cry at the bigotry of a mixed race and Jewish little girl who lived in a town of all white people. Her grandparents raised her after her mom's death and being sheltered in France, she had no clue what she would face in a village where there were only white faces. She was harassed in the school yard until the biggest kid defended and protected her. After graduating from high school she vowed to never return to a town that hated her so much. But, when she got a call that her grandmother needed her, she broke her vow. But she was too late as she was already dead.
    • 4/5
      Judith Ormand returns to Black Bear, Pennsylvania, to bury her grandmother and to sell the family farm. Growing up as the only Black and the only Jew in an insular village was not a happy time for Judith. She explains, “’To me, Black Bear has always been a single, monstrous being, small-minded, bigoted and treacherous.’” Once back to the place to which she had vowed never to return, she is forced to re-evaluate her “black and white” memories and opinions of others, especially her high school friend, Joe Anderson.This is very much a character novel, my favourite type, in which the protagonist embarks on a journey of discovery about herself and others. It is clear from the beginning that Judith has made up her mind about the town and its inhabitants and she will not change her mind easily. As she admits, “once I make a decision, I never like going back on it.” Although people do not always behave in the bigoted way she expects, and even though several friends question her negative assertions about people, she remains adamant in the correctness of her view. For example, a new friend tells her, “’But life is much more nuanced. Most people are neither heroes nor villains, but ordinary individuals struggling to do right while dealing with their own everyday frustrations and personal needs.’” Nonetheless she continues “to categorize and define everything into easy-to-understand absolutes.”There is a great deal of foreshadowing that Judith does not have a complete understanding of past events which continue to haunt her. Her certainty is shaken, though insufficiently, when she realizes there is much she does not even know about her grandmother, “the woman who existed beyond her relationship to [Judith], who was defined not by the blood and bonds [they] shared, but by who she was with people and events of which [Judith] knew nothing.” Judith wonders, “Gramma, what else didn’t you tell me or let me see?” but then she soon returns to the “unflinching sureness” she attributes to her grandmother but which she does not recognize in herself even though a long-time family friend says, “’I’ve never known two women more alike.’” Irony abounds in the novel. When Judith finds and reads some of her mother’s diary, she asks, “How much of Mom’s perspective was distorted by her anger and shame? How much of it was true?” Yet she quickly dismisses her observation about herself: “What other memories have I . . . burned away by my anger and fear?” The greatest irony, of course, is that Judith is guilty of possessing the traits she most hates about Black Bear, “so much so that [they] distorted [her] other memories.”In order to be credible, characters must be human beings with flaws, neither perfect nor totally evil. Judith is certainly credible, and the portrayal of the grandmother is done wonderfully well. With the latter, the author has gone to great pains to show both the positive and the negative. Much the same can be said of the other characters, even the minor ones who make infrequent appearances. The one exception is Judith’s grandfather; he seems too good and wise. There seems to be nothing that he can’t do, and in the many flashbacks in which he appears, he often seems to be dispensing wisdom like, “’Some folks don’t really know how to react when faced with something . . . or somebody . . . new’” and “Learning to live in this world, peacefully, among people who sometimes aren’t smart or fair . . . that’s important, too.’” Besides examining prejudice and memory, the novel also examines love: people’s inability to love for fear of rejection, people’s ability to love someone despite being aware of his/her flaws, the harm that can be done in the name of love. This book is a wonderful character study of a dynamic character whose change is totally convincing. The reader is drawn in to try and figure out the truth as it becomes apparent that the narrator, Judith, is unreliable. There is also suspense in wondering how and when Judith will learn the truth and in the threats of violence she faces. There is much that will resonate with many readers: anyone who has ever lived in a small town will find much to recognize. Definitely, this is a worthwhile read.Note: I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
    • 4/5
      Jo Joe by Sally Weiner GrottaThis was an e-book from LibraryThing.There are two aspects of this book that really stood out for me; one was the cinematographic descriptions.Right from the start of the book I could see the landscapes and the people and the events unfold as if I were watching a film. And it made me think that I would love to see this story on the big screen. The second and dominant aspect was the book’s ability to challenge our preconceptions of what racism and prejudice is really all about. I’m not one for going down the spoilers route when I’m reviewing books so suffice to say the character who is the victim of prejudice and discrimination is also in possession of prejudice which dictates their thoughts and actions. The final dénouement, whilst never resolving the wider aspects of prejudice does show how an individual can confront their own bigotry and overcome it.This is a deceptive book, you can get swept up in the narrative of the story and then the full impact and depth of the themes dealt with in the book really hit you.It is well worth reading.