To be clear, that’s Barber, not Barbie. And also to be clear, I cut my own hair. My wife simply trims the edges when I’m done. I then cut hair for all four of my sons. I use hair clippers that my younger brother once left behind at my parent’s house (don’t tell him), and it saves the Millette household over $500 a year. Where those savings end up, I couldn’t tell you.
Now that you’re sufficiently impressed by how smart and inventive I am, let me get to the barber who has inspired my latest series. And no, he’s not real.
Jayber Crow.
Jayber is the laughable, lovable, loyal, (and bald) misfit barber from the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. Jayber Crow is also the name of a novel written by the great Wendell Berry.
I’ve read all of Berry’s novels, but Jayber Crow stands out. Maybe it hit too close to home? I don’t know. Jayber Crow is a first-person fictional account of one barber trying to make it in, or at least understand, embrace, and become part of, life in a small farming town. The characters are vivid, quirky, and wildly entertaining. The story will make you laugh until you hurt, and, if I must admit, draw a tear or two from your eye. It’s so real and crazy and…
Yes, it moved me. But what about this other thing? What about the new series I’m working on? And what about the obvious question, “I thought you wrote kids’ books or something?”
About this other thing… Jayber Crow is a story I think all people with a good heart need to experience. It is a story to ponder and reflect upon. But it is obviously not a story intended for middle-year readers. It’s far too mature. More than that, it’s of a depth that even many adults cannot begin to understand, much less the mind of a grade fiver.
Yet, I won’t let this pass. The small-town misfit story is one that, I think, would resonate powerfully with a younger audience. It’s the type of simple, challenging, quirky adventure a younger reader needs. Especially one with a tendency to be a misfit of sorts.
So, my new series will be titled Adventures of a Misfit. The first book, to be released in November, is titled My Blasted Town. In it, the fictional town of Saskariver, Saskatchewan, has a horrid explosion rip apart much of its Main Street. Rebuilding seems only natural, at least to 11-year-old Joey Storthoaks. But certain powers-that-be have other ideas. Rebuilding is not feasible, after all. The death of Saskariver is imminent. It’s just another small place on earth destined to die silently, unnoticed, and unloved. One of many. What can a young boy from a large, busy family do against such overwhelming trials? That is for the story to reveal.
A brief word on the main character. Joey Storthoaks is a misfit, in a town of quirky misfits. Like Jayber. Joey is not perfect. He can be far worse than perfect and at the worst possible time:
“I looked at my brother Josh. He smiled and held up four fingers. I smiled back and nodded. My dad caught me glancing, and I snapped my face back to the front. Four meant how many chins the big lady in the front of the choir had. Very rude, I am sorry to say. I know better. I’ve come to understand that a church isn’t filled with saints. It’s filled with sinners. Sometimes, the sinners even sin while at church.”
Yes, Joey is a sinner. He is also remorseful. He is shy. He is philosophical. He is impetuous. He is delightful. And he must experience for himself words that Jayber once grappled, “You can’t dislike nearly everybody and be quite certain that you have exempted yourself.” All of which is to say, Joey, like Jayber, is not one to be cast aside. I believe Joey’s adventures will resonate. Perhaps just as those of that fictional small-town barber have with me.
Or so I hope.
For unlike Jayber’s author, I am no Wendell Berry.
* * *
www.youtube.com/@DanielJMillette
www.facebook.com/DanielJMillette
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danieljmillette
I have books! And you will love them!
Disconnected: The Broken Path
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052509
USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052509
Escape to the Wild
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052533
USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052533