THE SAILOR SEEKING PIECES OF THE MOON

About the Book

Jeff is one of the youngest and smallest kids in his suburban Chicago high school. Intimidated by enormous and athletic upperclassmen, Jeff stays emotionally afloat by clinging to two buoys: school cafeteria pretzel-lemonade euphoria and his English class with Mrs. Carlisle. When she teaches Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Jeff wants to be Odysseus. Two years later, Jeff has physically grown and feels mature and confident. It is no longer enough to be just another upperclassman. He must be Odysseus and embark on his own adventure. Jeffrey’s parents reject his eloquent pitch to embark in their Chevrolet Impala convertible and drive alone across the country to California. “No.” Now, many decades later, Jeff still longs for this odyssey. After battling self-doubt, concerns from family and friends, and resistance from peers, Jeff convinces his wife that the current and right answer should be “Yes.” She actively fosters his solo drive across the country. Her love and support make it even harder for Jeff to finally embark, but he does so and discovers new insights into people, places and himself on his indirect and unchartered route from his home in New Jersey to his destination in California. On the road, Jeff finds hidden treasures while battling continuing doubt, concern over lost playfulness, loneliness, feelings of mortality, cultural guilt, potential radioactive contamination and even the specter of nuclear annihilation. These monstrous and Promethean threats are overcome by hope emerging from inspirational strangers, discovery of greatness, messages from nature, personalized coffee with uplifting fumes, restorative ice cream and key memories that propel him to his epic destination and future. Arriving in San Francisco, he finds priceless treasure in his grandson’s playfulness, reflecting Jeff’s new appreciation for the uniqueness of each person’s journey, the rediscovered meaning of “home” and the importance of seeking and sharing eternal hope.

About the Author

The author savors coffee first thing every morning before making any plans or decisions for that or any other day. He loves everyone, but only after he has finished his second cup. J.F. Johnson received an award for creative writing as an undergraduate at Northwestern University, obtained an M.A in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and wrote a story that was converted by Italian composer Gianluca Verlingieri into the libretto for the composer’s cantata entitled The Courtship produced in 2016 by conductor Balint Karosi and sponsored by the Midtown Arts Council in NYC. The Sailor Seeking Pieces of the Moon is the author’s first novel.