About
the Book
Polish
immigrants meet, marry, start a family and build a rooming house in the 1880s.
Over the years, a true cast of characters live there. This book of historical
fiction consists of six diaries and other correspondence written by the DNA
family, and some roomers who became non-DNA family. It is filled with the ebb
and flow of American and Chicago history in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
It has family and diversity all through it. Immigration, Polish, Germans, Jews,
Blacks, Latinos, Gays, Chicago dialect, street cars, the depression, world
wars, Viet Nam and the YMCA. Everyday people struggling and succeeding through
the ups and downs of 135 years of life in one neighborhood. It’s rich, earthy,
heart-warming, funny, sad and inspiring—just like life itself.
Where
else will you meet a French love child from WWI who shows up and says you’re my
dad? Or encounter a single, pregnant teen who has her baby in the rooming house
owners bedroom and both mother and daughter end up living in the rooming house
for 15 years? Then there’s the woman who really isn’t who she said she was, and
the male street worker from Tijuana who ends up inheriting the place. All of
them loved, welcomed and adopted into the family by the Polish immigrants and
their generations of children.
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Ebook $.99
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Read
a Review Excerpt
From
Kirkus Review: …The way that he portrays family dynamics is insightful and raw;
the characters’ flaws and virtues are complex and make the cast compellingly
realistic. The prose also has a wry touch of humor that offsets the turbulent and
often tragic events. It’s a lengthy story but well worth the time and
effort.
A story
of secrecy, suffering, fortitude, and compassion that demonstrates an
exceptional understanding of the human psyche.
A
Brief Interview with the Author
Tell us your inspiration and
motivation behind this book.
I ended
up with a lot of back story left over from my first novel, Face Your Fears, much of
it taking place in a rooming house. Author Jerry Peterson, the leader, and other
fellow members of the Stateline Night Writers at Beloit Public Library
suggested I center a second novel around the rooming house. Bingo. I was off
and running. Being a preacher’s kid exposed me to many dynamics in family and
human life. My careers working with people from diverse backgrounds intrigued
me. All of that somehow plays into what I write.
What do you hope readers will
tell others?
That
people are people. Regardless of our skin color, abilities, disabilities,
gender, who we love, and backgrounds, we all suffer, triumph, and muddle along
through this great thing called life. How we live in the here and now is what
counts.
Which of the characters was the
most difficult to portray?
Possibly
Arnaud, the French teen conceived the last night an American soldier and French
woman spent together after World War I ended. Arnaud shows up in Chicago 14
years later and says, “Hi, I’m your son you didn’t know you had.” I had the
concept for him, but wasn’t sure what to do with him or how to handle it. Lots
of question to think through. I’m excited over how the character fit into the
book and added another dimension to the story.
What's your next project?
My third
novel, a stand-alone companion to The Rooming House Diaries, is under
contract to be published by Rogue
Phoenix Press in June 2020. Titled, The Rooming House Gallery – Connecting the
Dots, it deals with the couple who inherited the old rooming house,
their decisions and efforts to turn it into a community art center amidst their
own growth as a couple and their conflicts in deciding to begin a family. Their
decision continues the tradition of the rooming house in building non-DNA
families.
I am currently
working on a different kind of book. Tentatively titled, Revenge is Necessary, it’s
about a farm family and is a psychological mystery and crime story. Why did a
stoic father and husband suddenly try to kill his wife and son? What would make
him act so out of context? The answers lead to discovering the husband of 35
years and father of 6 has lead a double life and, up until now, only one living
person knew of the second life. It’s my first attempt at writing crime and
mystery. So far, it’s been fun, but I definitely have more research to do.
About
the Author
Bill
Mathis was raised in a large family in a Michigan farm village jammed full of
other big families. He enjoyed growing up in a large family surrounded by kids
mostly from other large families—in fact, he wondered what was wrong with
couples who only had one or two kids; even three were suspect. His careers were
spent in YMCA camping and foster care in the Chicago area. He began writing
after retiring and moving to Beloit, Wisconsin. His books reflect families,
children, diversity, and human nature, warts and all. He enjoys writing,
reading, volunteering, and traveling with his partner.http://www.billmathiswriteretc.com
Facebook: Bill Mathis Writer Etc
Twitter: @billmathiswrit1
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