Book description
The bum who put the touch on JoJo was just like any other bum on Skid
Row-red-faced, in clothes that didn't fit, and with the shakes, a
condition that only a drink could still. The line was the same with all
of them and they always targeted JoJo for his big heart. “I ain't et in
two days,” they'd beg to JoJo but he knew if he parted with the
quarter-that is, if he even had one to part with-the bum would head
straight for the nearest liquor store or beer joint. Set in Memphis,
Tennessee during the Great Depression, “Skid Row” follows the lives of a
group of laborers known as tinners. There was Jew Bill, Shorty, Fingers,
Grinder, Swede and Junior, among others, some said to be, “as ugly as
homemade sin.” Also known as down-and-outers, these men never missed a
chance to gawk at the high-steppers prancing in and out of the flophouse
across the street from the tin shops. Yet they treated the lovely,
shapely Reba, the Widow Hanna, and the innocent Betty Jo with more
respect. All the while, these were men trying desperately to make it to
the next payday, fighting within themselves whether to put food on the
table for the family, or use the last bit of pocket change for a
much-needed drink. Teeming with vivid narrative about a lively yet
lonely street from a time and place long forgotten, “Skid Row” is told
through the eyes of a young lad growing from teenager to manhood while
working in his father's tin shop. Joe Werner has filled his first novel
with humor and yearning in his own, unique, bare-knuckled voice. With no
subtlety or pretense, Werner makes you root for a group of people
struggling to simply exist in this gritty, entertaining novel of bygone
days. Joe Werner was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee and worked
until retirement as a tinsmith and contractor. When taking a break from
writing, Joe and his wife, Amelia, travel the world and play golf. These
days, he's busy working on his next novel. For more on Joe, please visit
his website at www. joewerner. com.
