John Brown serves on the Street Roots Board of Directors and has been a Street Roots vendor since 2011. You can find him selling newspapers most days at the Food Front Food Cooperative Grocery in Hillsdale. He was named Vendor of the Year in 2015. A native of Michigan, John is a sports and theater fan. He shares five good books:Spoon River Anthology by Edgar lee Masters
This collection of poems uses the voices of those buried in a rural graveyard to examine the interconnected lives of its citizens. The portraits of these mid-westerners are vivid and ironic, and Masters and his characters have influenced American literature from Sherwood Anderson to Thornton Wilder to Garrison Keillor.
The Quest for Karla was the original name of an ominbus collection of three novels, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Honorable Schoolboy, Smiley’s People, by John le Carré
Three Cold-War espionage novels tell the story of an unlikely hero. George Smiley, a bland, near-sighted cuckold engineers the defection of a Soviet spymaster. Le Carré writes dazzling prose and just perfect dialogue.
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
A storm, a shipwreck, a remote island, an overthrown kingdom, the setup and the setting for this late romance by Shakespeare bring together young lovers, old enemies, a sorcerer, a beast, a clown, a sprite, a saint, gods and goddesses. The action of this play covers amazing tricks and maybe the most satisfying ending in the complete canon of Shakespeare. No one drowns.
Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
A low-stakes comedy whose characters transcend their faults to achieve heroic stature. Steinbeck’s descriptions of Monterey, California, in the years after World War I are captivating. Flora, fauna, weather, commerce, crime, Heaven — all come alive. This is a short, vibrant novel that reads great, even when revisiting.
The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
This is a huge novel about two families in coal country early in the 20th century. Murder, adultery, justice and escape are presented for our “indiscrete observation.” Wilder’s third person voice is wise, authoritative and generous.
Midnight at the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E. K. Johnston
Louise Erdrich keeps getting better and better. Reading her new book, 
Dana and John are the masterminds behind 
Let’s Get Lost
With
Kids these days. They get the best books! Sometimes we get the best recommendations from patrons. Even when they're only 7 or 8 years old! I'm pretty sure I would have adored these graphic novels as a little girl because, I've got to admit, I really liked them as an adult. 
of a tiny humble kingdom. She manages to keep her head in the face of danger and escapes from her captor while, unknowing of this, her father sets out to try to save her. Mabelrose has traditional fairytale virtues of modesty, loyalty and so on. She saves herself from each new problem she faces while trying to get home by doing the right thing for the right reasons.
A figure emerges from the dusky grasslands of the steppe. She rides an antlered beast, perhaps an elk or deer. A bow and quiver is slung across her back, and an axe hangs at her side. She is clothed in a long tunic with ornate belt, a leopard skin, and wildly patterned trousers. A peaked felt cap covers her head. As the rider moves closer her mount’s antlers glint red and gold, and you can see that they are part of an 
From what I hear from my kids about sex education at their schools, kids in the Portland area are getting abbreviated, inadequate information about sex in these classes. Studies show that kids are probably also getting plenty of information from 
Clearly, we need to talk to our kids about sex, even though it is perhaps not their favorite subject for a chat with parents. For those questions they would never ask you, there’s a great sex-positive website called 
Right now I'm rereading 
previous paragraph), I still love 
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