Nancy Klann-Moren

From The Book Wheel:

Note: I received this book directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Anyone who doesn’t live in a hole knows that last week George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges concerning the death of Trayvon Martin. I’m not going to go into my personal opinions about the case, but I will say that The Clock of Life came along at a time I was already considering the state of race relations in the United States.

A white boy growing in small town Mississippi, the book’s protagonist, Jason Lee, begins to see the world though a new light on his first day of school. From day one, he found himself on the ‘wrong side’ of societal norms for befriending a black boy named Samson. He also learned, quite by accident, a little bit about his father (who was never discussed at home). It was this incident that sets the rest of the book in motion.

Over the next ten years, the reader barrels toward adulthood along with Jason Lee. We’re with him for many of the major events in a boy’s life: drinking for the first time, meeting a girl, and normal teenage boy shenanigans. But we’re also there with him as he learns more about his late father, and more importantly, we’re with him as his friendship with Samson deepens as they learn more about the Civil Rights Movement.

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Every once in a while a compelling story comes along that tugs at the reader's heartstrings and stirs their conscience, The Clock of Life is that story. Author Nancy Klann-Moren weaves a powerful and captivating tale written in the first person narrative that follows young Jason Lee Rainey's journey of coming of age and self-discovery in the small Southern town of Hadlee, Mississippi from 1974 to 1985.

This story documents Jason Lee's growing up in the South during the tumultuous time period of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. The reader follows Jason Lee from the age of six in 1974 to the age of sixteen in 1985. Through these years he experiences many life lessons: his first day of school where he learns about racial bigotry; standing up for what's right as his friendship grows with a young colored boy named Samson Johnson; the importance of time in his life; and the importance of family and the bond of friendship. Through stories from family and friends, he learns about J.L. Rainey, his father and namesake that he never got a chance to meet; from his father's journal he learns about his father's legacy during the Civil Rights Movement; and he learns about how his father lost his life in 1968 while serving in Vietnam. There are many "first" milestones that Jason Lee experiences during these years: first time walking to school by himself was his first taste of independence; his first taste of moonshine and chewing tobacco; the first time sneaking out of his house at night; getting fitted for his first suit; his first taste of sorrow and loss; and his first crush with a girl named Reba. For Jason Lee, The Clock of Life is symbolic with the trials and tribulations in his life as he progresses from childhood to manhood, he soon discovers that he has indeed become his father's son.

The author weaves a compelling and captivating tale rich in detail and description of the small Southern town setting and tension filled historical events. The reader is transported back to the time period of the 1970-1980s as if they were a visitor sitting in a rocker on Jason Lee's front porch. You can't help but feel the racial tensions of that time period and the mixed reaction to the Vietnam War, the author provides the readers with a fascinating history lesson as they follow Jason Lee's journey. With a mixture of seriousness and madcap childhood adventures, Jason Lee's story is one that has the reader feeling the full gamut of emotions.

With a wonderful cast of characters who are realistic and flawed, whose locale southern dialect and way of life pulls the reader into their lives; with engaging dialogues and dramatic interactions; and a smooth flowing storyline of one young boy's struggle to come of age through learning about his past and finding his voice; The Clock of Life is a wonderful story that embodies the spirit and culture of the past, while emphasizing the importance of a person's life ticking away with the passage of time and the bonds of friendship.

The Clock of Life is a poignant and timeless tale of coming of age that will resonate with you for a long time.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

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(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

Nancy Klann-Moren's The Clock of Life is one of those frustrating books I found a chore to even read enough of to give an honest review (for what it's worth, I made it about a third of the way through), because it's a perfect storm of every little thing I dislike in contemporary literature -- a genteel coming-of-age tale about racial tolerance set in the rural South, it has the cloying sentimentality of a Reader's Digest piece, paints its heroes and villains as broadly as a cartoon might, makes its thematic points with all the subtlety of a two-by-four to the back of the head, and follows not so much a plot as an endless string of easy cliches. Plus I have to admit that I was confused even by the time period this book is supposed to take place in; for while the first few chapters explicitly state dates from the 1970s and '80s, there are all kinds of references to things that sound more like the 1930s, such as someone mentioning the Scopes "monkey" trial, children fashioning fake coins out of foil that work perfectly in vending machines, and the state government apparently having no problem with rural families pulling their kids from required public education after the start of every school year. (And indeed, just like this last reference, the entire first chapter of The Clock of Life is an almost beat-for-beat aping of the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, inviting a comparison that unfortunately Klann-Moren badly loses.) There's an audience for this kind of work, for sure, given that this has either won or been nominated for several literary awards now; it's just that I don't think any of those audience members are regular visitors to CCLaP, meaning that most of you should stay well clear of this admirably earnest yet overly sentimental morality tale.

Out of 10: 6.2… (more)