‘The Musical Mozinskis’ explores family dynamics | Book Talk
“The Musical Mozinskis” by Cleveland author Susan Petrone begins with a meeting of two virtuosos, Vincent Mozinski, a jazz pianist, and Grace Klinefelter, a violinist, in a music store. Within minutes, she agrees to marry him (she insists that he tell her his name first).
It seems that Vincent and Grace have a form of synesthesia that allows them to see musical notes “kind of like in Peanuts where Schroeder is playing and the music is above the piano.”
Vincent and Grace have six children and Vincent indoctrinates them in performance, each on at least two instruments — a primary and a secondary. Each is a musical prodigy except the youngest.
With the family struggling financially, Vincent finds a job for the children, recording a commercial jingle for a local car dealership. Its popularity leads to a performance on a talent show and later to a national bicentennial concert and “The Tonight Show.”
Without discussing it with the children, Vincent signs a contract for the family to appear in a television show. The format resembles that of “The Partridge Family,” which the children revile. The pressure of a weekly show affects the family relationships, and Vincent’s “inflated sense of self-importance” conflicts with the children’s genuine talent.
Petrone is excellent at providing a distinct identity for each character; each has dimension. The youngest child, Viola, is the only member of the family who doesn’t see the musical notes, but she may have a gift of her own.
“The Musical Mozinskis” (hardcover, 288 pages) costs $27.95 from The Story Plant. Petrone also is the author of “The Heebie-Jeebie Girl” and contributed to “Cleveland Noir.”
Petrone will launch “The Musical Mozinskis” at 7 p.m. Friday at Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights.
‘The Amish Wife’
In 1990, true-crime writer Gregg Olsen published “Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, and Amish Secrets,” about a Dalton man suspected of killing his son whose body was found in a Nebraska field, clad only in blue pajamas. Olsen revisits the case in “The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy That Let a Killer Go Free.”
Eli Stutzman, who died by suicide in 2007, was never charged in his son’s death, nor for that of his pregnant wife Ida, whose 1977 death was ruled accidental. In 1989, Olsen was contacted by Ida’s brother, who wanted to give him a box of letters that shed more light on the disturbing case. Olsen sets out to look at Ida’s death again to find justice for “such a good-natured person.”
Eli Stutzman was not good-natured; he was dishonest, giving many different accounts of the night of Ida’s death.
Did lightning strike their barn? Amish women’s clothing is complicated and time-consuming to put on, so why was she fully dressed and out the door before Eli?
There was no autopsy. Olsen alleges a conspiracy among the coroner, the Wayne County sheriff and other officials, but could it just be an attestation of the Amish reluctance to pursue legal options? Or the reluctance of 1970s small-town residents to acknowledge their sexuality? “There is a huge difference between theories and facts,” he says.
Olsen’s work has ample evidence for both. He visits dozens of possible witnesses with various levels of success — relatives, neighbors: “Everyone concerned with Eli has their own little piece of the puzzle.”
“Abandoned Faith” was primarily about the Little Boy Blue Case. The Nebraska community paid to bury the then-unidentified Danny Stutzman, who was 9 at the time of his death. “The Amish Wife” assumes Eli’s guilt in both cases.
“Almost all of our family vacations have involved a side trip to the scene of one crime or another,” Olsen says. While he’s in Ohio, he detours to Bath Township for a look — just a look — at Jeffrey Dahmer’s boyhood home, and pokes into a 1971 case about a West Salem farmer who died by eating strychnine-laced chocolate.
“The Amish Wife” (395 pages, hardcover) costs $28.99 from Thomas & Mercer. Olsen lives in Olalla, Washington; his other books include “If You Tell” and “The Last Thing She Ever Did.”
Olsen has several book signings scheduled this week: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dover Public Library, 525 N. Walnut St., doverlibrary.org; 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Ashland Public Library, 224 Claremont Ave., ashland.lib.oh.us; 2 p.m. Wednesday, Reed Memorial Library, 167 E. Main St., Ravenna, reedlibrary.org; 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E., massillonlibrary.org; 7 p.m. Thursday, Wayne Center for the Arts, 237 S. Walnut St., Wooster, wcpl.info; 11 a.m. Friday, Tuscarawas County Public Library, 121 Fair Ave., New Philadelphia, tusclibrary.org; 6 p.m. Friday, Holmes County Public Library, 3102 Glen Drive, Millersburg, holmeslibrary.org.
Events
Fireside Books (29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls): Cleveland author Don Iannone signs his collection “Stories from an Hourglass,” 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (60 S. High St.): Vanderbilt University professor Michael Eric Dyson, author of “I May Not Get There with You,” gives the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lecture, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Amy Schiller talks to philanthropist Jan Roller about “The Price of Humanity: How Philanthropy Went Wrong and How to Fix It,” 3 p.m. Sunday.
Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): Historian Richard Snow, author of “Sailing the Graveyard Sea,” talks at 6:30 p.m. Monday. In a virtual presentation at 1 p.m. Saturday, Renaissance historians John Guy and Julia Fox talk about “Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe. Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.): Bonnie Jo Campbell discusses her novel “The Waters,” 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Massillon Library (Barry Askren Memorial Branch, 1200 Market St. NE, Navarre): In a Zoom presentation, Laura Spence-Ash talks to the Askren Book Club about her novel “Beyond That the Sea,” 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library (Willoughby branch, 30 Public Square): Laura Meckler discusses “Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equality,” 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at we247.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Solon branch, 34125 Portz Parkway): Wendy Koile signs “Lake Erie Murder & Mayhem,” 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Mandel Jewish Community Center (26001 S. Woodland Road, Beachwood): Laura Meckler continues the Cleveland Jewish Book Festival with “Dream Town,” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Register at mandeljcc.org/bookfest.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Fairlawn-Bath branch, 3101 Smith Road): Don Ake talks about “Deep Heavy Stuff: Thoughts and Essays for Enriching Your Life,” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at akronlibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Brooklyn branch, 4480 Ridge Road): Wendy Koile signs “Lake Erie Murder & Mayhem,” 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Pretty Good Books (4535 Main Ave., Ashtabula): An Indie Author Bash features about 30 authors, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Black Cat Books (420 S. Court St., Medina): Sarah Forester Davis of Medina signs “His Name is August!,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Notes
Advance notice for an event sure to sell out: Sadeqa Johnson, author of “Yellow Wife,” will talk about “The House of Eve” on Feb. 12 at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Correction: Steve Goble lives in Jeromesville. In my Dec. 31 column, I listed the wrong town.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘The Musical Mozinskis’ by Susan Petrone explores family dynamics
