The Sugar House - Paperback

by Jean Scheffler (Author)

A gripping historical fiction that will transport you back in time to the Detroit of the 1920's- a world of Speakeasies, Gangsters, Auto Barons, Flappers, Lawlessness and Innovation. Joe, a young boy growing up in Detroit, navigates between his family's strong Polish traditions and the electric atmosphere of America's fastest growing city until a sudden illness and heart wrenching death force him to grow up much too soon. He finds work with an ambitious group of Jewish immigrants known as the Sugar House Gang. To support his family Joe runs liquor up the river with Cappie, the man who will become his mentor, friend and ultimately, family. Together they race through the "Prohibition Era of the Roaring Twenties" in fast boats and faster cars, trying to avoid the law and rival gangsters while striving to satisfy the murderous leaders of what is to become the infamous Purple Gang.

Author Biography

The Sugar House is Jean Scheffler's literary debut. She grew up "South of Detroit" & as a child she would sit on her Grandfathers lap at his summer cottage and intently listen to stories of his childhood adventures in early industrial Detroit. As he rocked her in front of the roaring fire, her love for Detroit's history and its exciting past took root. Later, as a young nurse she would peruse the quiet halls of her workplaces and find willing storytellers from that great generation who were happy to share their memories of the "Paris of the Midwest". Research through newspapers, movies, books and field trips added to her growing knowledge of a city with a storied past. Following her dream to "Tell a story that needs to be told for the next generation" has resulted in the The Sugar House. Loosely based on events from her Grandfather's life she hopes to inspire young and mature readers alike to develop a love of the for the city their ancestors helped to build.