Down Along the Piney: Ozarks Stories (Richard Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction)

Down Along the Piney is John Mort’s fourth short-story collection and winner of the Richard Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction. With settings in Florida, California, Mexico, Chicago, the Texas Panhandle, and, of course, the Ozarks themselves, these thirteen stories portray the unsung, amusing, brutal, forever hopeful lives of ordinary people. Mort chronicles the struggles of "flyover" people who live not just in the Midwest, but anywhere you can find a farm, small town, or river winding through forested hills. Mort, whose earlier stories have appeared in the New Yorker, GQ, and The Chicago Tribune, is the author of the award-winning Vietnam War novel Soldier in Paradise, as well as Goat Boy of the Ozarks and The Illegal. These ironic, unflaggingly honest stories will remind the reader of Jim Harrison, Sherwood Anderson, and Shirley Jackson.

Literature & Fiction

Mort, John

United States

University of Notre Dame Press

Down Along the Piney is John Mort’s fourth short-story collection and winner of the Richard Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction. With settings in Florida, California, Mexico, Chicago, the Texas Panhandle, and, of course, the Ozarks themselves, these thirteen stories portray the unsung, amusing, brutal, forever hopeful lives of ordinary people. Mort chronicles the struggles of "flyover" people who live not just in the Midwest, but anywhere you can find a farm, small town, or river winding through forested hills. Mort, whose earlier stories have appeared in the New Yorker, GQ, and The Chicago Tribune, is the author of the award-winning Vietnam War novel Soldier in Paradise, as well as Goat Boy of the Ozarks and The Illegal. These ironic, unflaggingly honest stories will remind the reader of Jim Harrison, Sherwood Anderson, and Shirley Jackson.

Mort's compelling first novel embodies both the Vietnam combat experience and the sad aftermath for those who underwent it. The novel alternates between the "stateside" chapters after the war and the Vietnam chapters dramatizing the war, creating a tension back and forth in time as well as geography. Through a wry first person narrative readers come to know the bookish, reluctant soldier and his comrades in the jungle and the psychologically wounded man who slowly climbs back into a productive life.

Soldier in Paradise

Southern Methodist Univ Pr

The Walnut King and Other Stories

Woods Colt Pr

One hot night on the Rio Grande, a corrupt drug deal goes the wrong way. Police set themselves against soldiers, and soldiers die. Lieutenant Mario Oliveros should be among them, but he swims for his life to Langtry, Texas. Officially, he’s a dead hero. Alive, in Mexico, he’d be dead soon enough. Through no fault of his own, he has become an illegal. Set in today’s Mexico, Dallas, and the Texas Panhandle, The Illegal charts Mario’s journey across desert and urban landscapes, seeking honest work and a place to rest. Slowly, an old dreamturned American Dreamasserts itself. But it’s hard to dream when you’re illegal. Current, prophetic, and often humorous, Mario’s story brings a welcome, human dimension to the immigration debate. The Illegal is a fast-paced tale about one man’s dangerous journey toward freedom.

The Illegal

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thrillers & Suspense

Southeast Missouri State Univ Press

In late fall of 1892 outlaw Eddie Mole gallops down the main street of Jericho Springs, Kansas, where he robs and shoots dead the freighter Barney Kreider. Some urge Barney's son Ulysses ("Euly") to take revenge, but Euly is a Mennonite and Mennonites don't seek revenge. Instead, Euly plots how to make his fortune with the aid of his half-Osage sister, Kate, and his friend Johnny, an Osage farmhand. The three make a plan to sell goods and livestock to the settlers converging on Caldwell, Kansas, for the land run going on in the Cherokee Outlet. When Johnny tracks Eddie into the Cherokee Outlet, he witnesses Buffalo Soldiers evicting Eddie from a ranch, leaving it public domain, and Johnny and Kate make the run for that beautiful land. Euly follows close behind, even as Eddie, riding from Arkansas City, tries to reclaim his old ranch. John Mort's narrative is an anti-revenge novel--always opting for nonviolence. But there's violence nevertheless, as Eddie's and Barney's survivors converge in a rousing finish. Though this novel uses some of the architecture and motifs of traditional westerns, it is carefully researched and set in the unfolding of a pivotal, neglected historical event. &nbsp;

Oklahoma Odyssey: A Novel

Bison Books

At last―the first comprehensive readers' advisory guide for this highly popular genre! With an emphasis on contemporary publications, this book covers nearly 2,000 Christian fiction titles, featuring detailed annotations and bibliographies. Award-winning author and Booklist columnist John Mort has gone out of his way to present―for the first time―a broad spectrum of Christian fiction literature, setting a new standard for Christian fiction readers' advisory. With this book you will no longer face difficulties locating new reads and read-alikes in this genre! Each chapter features a subgenre or theme, including biblical fiction, historical fiction, sagas, romance, fantasy and science fiction, westerns, mysteries and thrillers, and more. There are also chapters on Catholic and Mormon fiction, as well as Amish, Mennonite, and Quaker fiction, and YA literature. Other features include a discussion of Christian literature, practical tips and resources for readers' advisors, and a section on awards. Young adult and adult or grades 10 and up.

Christian Fiction: A Guide to the Genre (Genreflecting Advisory Series)

Religion & Spirituality

Libraries Unlimited

Assist readers in their book selections with this guide, which covers titles spanning the entire spectrum of the Western genre―from such classics as those written by Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and Max Brand to traditional novels by Elmer Kelton and contemporary novels of the West by Annie Proulx, Louise Erdrich, and Larry McMurtry. Mort describes and maps approximately 2000 titles, grouping them by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots. Also included are chapters on the history of the genre, six great authors of the genre, a Western timeline, information on resources and awards, and detailed indexes.
Often overlooked or written off as a dying genre, the Western, in fact, holds great appeal for many readers today. While traditional Westerns have managed to retain a loyal cadre of fans, new followers have been drawn in by recent iterations of and new directions in the genre written by such authors as Larry McMurtry, Annie Proulx, Louise Erdrich, and Tabor Evans; as well as contemporary authors writing in the traditional vein, such as Elmer Kelton. Westerns are also thriving within the flourishing Christian fiction genre.
This guide, intended to help you assist readers in their book (and film) selections, covers the entire spectrum of the Western, describing and mapping the genre―from classics that are still enjoyed by dedicated readers to more contemporary and literary novels of the West that feature the alluring themes of freedom, individualism, and moral regeneration set against the magnificent backdrop of the Western landscape. By grouping titles by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots, the book guides users to similar titles and read-alikes. Young adult and adult. Grades 10 and up.
Mort takes a broad historical perspective, covering the Western from its origins in the 19th century to today. Selections represent the best and most popular titles as well as those commonly available in libraries. Chapters focus on past giants of the genre (Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, Max Brand) as well as on current subgenres and themes such as Christian Westerns, Sagas, Western Romance, Western Mysteries, Young Adult Westerns, Native Americans, and Mountain Men. Western films, so integral to the evolution of the genre, are annotated in a separate chapter. Approximately 2,000 titles are covered, about 250 of them films. Coverage of books is broad and thorough; coverage of films is selective. In addition, there are a brief history of the genre, a Western timeline, information on resources and awards, and author/title, subject and geographic indexes. This is the definitive resource on the Western genre, and an essential readers' advisory and reference tool.

Read the High Country: A Guide to Western Books and Films (Genreflecting Advisory Series)

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

The Ballad of Johnny Bell

Humor

Cornerpost Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mort, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Mort, John

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mort, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Down Along the Piney: Ozarks Stories (Richard Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction)

Down Along the Piney: Ozarks Stories (Richard Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction)

Soldier in Paradise

The Walnut King and Other Stories

The Illegal

Oklahoma Odyssey: A Novel

Christian Fiction: A Guide to the Genre (Genreflecting Advisory Series)

Read the High Country: A Guide to Western Books and Films (Genreflecting Advisory Series)

The Ballad of Johnny Bell