内容摘要：“At that moment, we heard of the death camps, and at that moment I understood that I would not see my mother and my brother again,” she said. Both were killed at the Auschwitz death camp.

“At that moment, we heard of the death camps, and at that moment I understood that I would not see my mother and my brother again,” she said. Both were killed at the Auschwitz death camp.

keeps her fifth novel close to home, set mostly in Somers, New York, where she was born. The title refers to the town, which boasts itself as the birthplace of the American circus. The novel is interspersed with snippets from a school paper on the history of Old Bet — the elephant whose statue marks the town center — and the more famous keeper of said elephant.These asides challenge the spottiness of the historical record, reflecting the way Freya relates to Bet as someone whom history is not concerned with, when her tormentors get to write their own version of what happened.

Flashbacks reveal a cascade of abuses suffered at the hands of her family, and seemingly gone unnoticed by the community. The present tense helps differentiate current happenings — with the novel starting in 2007 — from trips down memory lane that crop up as the town’s people and places are introduced, stirring up the past like mud in a pond.The silver lining: Somers has Freya’s beloved niece, Aubrey, whom she hasn’t seen in a decade since she left town. The exceptionally written, touching connection between these two characters is, by itself, worth picking up the novel.Larkin abandons the typical story arc in favor of a more naturally flowing up-and-down journey that basks in beautiful moments like a slice-of-life story. Whether it’s banter at the bar Freya’s working or a leaking roof that is simply one more thing than she can possibly handle right now, the characters and their experiences are so real and pure that their joys and sorrows are amplified tenfold.

As the novel progresses and Freya starts to rebuild her life in Somers, we learn bit by bit the horrific events that led to her departure.Reconnecting with childhood friends, avoiding the demons of her past, and navigating an entirely new level of adulthood via being thrust into homeownership, “Home of the American Circus” is Freya’s journey of empowerment, to reclaim her life and the people and things she holds most dear; to recognize her own resilience and inherent self-worth. Larkin builds a robust picture of Freya’s life, her family, and a small American town home to a circus elephant.

It takes more than a little verve to write a story based on the iconic characters created by

in perhaps the 20th century’s most famous American novel, but Claire Anderson-Wheeler has done just that with “The Gatsby Gambit.” And, say, old sport, it’s delightful.“It’s a cruel irony that the Bears’ Ironman succumbed to this dreaded disease,”

. “Yet Steve showed us throughout his struggle that his real strength was internal, and he demonstrated on a daily basis his class, his dignity and his humanity. He is at peace now. We offer our condolences to Misty, (daughter) Macy, the rest of Steve’s family, his teammates, and countless friends and fans of a great Bear.”Pro Football Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter said in a statement: “Steve McMichael told everyone he would fight ALS with the same tenacity he showed for 15 seasons in the National Football League. And he did just that. Everyone who played with or against Steve shares the same opinion: No one battled longer or harder from the snap until the whistle than Steve the player.”

Soon after his career ended, McMichael got involved with wrestling.In April 1995, he was in Lawrence Taylor’s corner at the WWF’s WrestleMania when the New York Giants great met Bam Bam Bigelow. Later that year, he started with WCW as a commentator.