Williams was foremost a poet, but the novels are of great interest. They are important books in their own right, because they present with a poet’s insight, and in a prose style of striking originality, aspects of American life which few other writers have approached.It not very common that a physician practicing both pediatrics and general medicine would also be a poet and novelist. However, that is what Williams was, he also served as the Passaic General Hospital’s chief of pediatrics from 1924 until his death. I’ll be reading the rest of this trilogy just to see what happens to Flossie.White Mule and its sequels, In the Money and The Build-Up, form a trilogy, the saga of the Stecher family, but each volume is a complete novel by itself. Joe Stecher and Gurlie, his wife, are a young couple of European origin settled in New York at the turn of the century and working to make a place for themselves in the new world. White Mule is the story of Joe’s inner struggle between love of fine craftsmanship (he is a printer by trade) and Gurlie’s ambition to get ahead, to have him get “in the money.” But it also the story of the awakening consciousness of their children; the real heroine is the baby Flossie—she had a kick like “White Mule” whiskey—whose birth begins the book. Everything revolves around the baby and she is surely unique in literature. Dr. Williams was a pediatrician, and without sentimentality he makes of this little being, who cannot even talk, a full-scale, three-dimensional personality. — Book promo @ goodreads.com
I got started creating the page for my vacation in Europe with another slide show. Also customized the hamburger menu where I’ll have vacation pages shown as drop downs under the title #Other Trips. Maybe finish the Europe page soon and then start on the other two pages that will also be under that title.
I had my last breakfast while here at the Coyote Den yesterday morning and then did my last shopping at Del Sol. I need to get the household chores taken care of during the next few days and then I’ll be on the road to my Spring camp(s) on Friday.
