The Greening of Ben Brown

By Michael Strelow

Book Overview

Michael Strelow weaves the story of a town and its mysteries in his debut novel, The Greening of Ben Brown, an Oregon Book Award Finalist for fiction 2005. Ben Brown, the protagonist, becomes a citizen of East Leven, Oregon, after he recovers from an electrocution that has not left him dead but has turned him green. He befriends 18 year-old Andrew James and together they unearth a chemical spill cover-up that forces the town to confront its demons and its citizens to choose sides. Strelow's lyrical prose and his talent for storytelling come together in this poetic and important first work that looks at how a town and the natural environment are inextricably linked. The Greening of Ben Brown will find itself in good company on the shelves between Winesburg, Ohio and To Kill a Mockingbird and readers of both will have a new story to cherish.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0971691584
• ISBN13: 9780971691582
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Hawthorne Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

I loved it!

I love plants, and for some reason I picked up this book. I'm normally not an impulse shopper, but this one just grabbed me. I found The Greening of Ben Brown to be a hysterical spoof on much that is sacred in this funny world we live in. The author can really write...when he wrote about green, I felt and saw GREEN. And when he wrote about wet, I felt like I was in a downpour. Much like a Tom Robbins novel, this book just kept me giggling, yet it had a timeless message as well. I'd definitely recommend it, and rate it next to my other favorites such as Bee Season, Memoirs of a Geisha and Kite Runner.