Fresh News Straight from Heaven: a Novel on the True Mythology of Johnny Appleseed by Gregg Sapp

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Fresh News Straight from Heaven:
a Novel on the True Mythology of Johnny Appleseed

by Award Winning Author Gregg SAPP

Evolved Publishing: December 2017
Format: Paperback, eBook
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Publication Year: 2017
Format: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Length: 382 pages
ASIN: B0782Q6FSS, ISBN: 162253507
ISBN-13 (EPUB Version): 978-1-62253-506-4
Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo,
Nook, Scribd, and Smashwords.https://evolvedpub.com/FNSFH


Synopsis 

Fresh News Straight from Heaven,” is based upon the history and folklore of John Chapman (1774-1845) – aka, Johnny Appleseed.

Almost everybody has heard of Johnny Appleseed. Whether from a children’s book or a history course from long ago, or just from images and stories embedded in folk culture, the character of Johnny Appleseed is an enduring piece of Americana. Wherever he went, strolling barefoot through the frontier of Ohio and Indiana, with a mush pot on his head, a pack of seeds on his back, and a Bible in his hand, he declared that he was bringing with him “Fresh News Straight from Heaven.” Today, he is remembered as gentle and loving as he was eccentric.

My Thoughts
This narrative begins at Owl Creek in 1801 and immediately I am captured not only by the description of America’s western frontier but by this gangly and cheerfully unconcerned barefoot backwoodsman who made walking sticks fashionable.
Against a lush and fragrant backdrop, Sapp provides an array of multidimensional characters in an unpolished landscape that is researched and executed so well, it is difficult to tell that which is invented and that which is historically accurate.
The frontier is integral to this story as Johnny Appleseed wandered the Midwest for over fifty years. He traveled across piedmont landscapes, slept in caves and befriended people and animals.
New characters are introduced throughout the book, my favorite being, Dead Mary, who observed Johnny singing the lyrics of “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree". An avid preacher, Johnny Appleseed brought fresh news straight from heaven.
I received a copy of this exquisite book from the author for an honest review.
About the Author: Gregg Sapp, a native Ohioan, is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, who has published humor, poetry, and short stories in Defenestration, Waypoints, Semaphore, Kestrel, Zodiac Review, Marathon Review, and been a frequent contributor to Midwestern Gothic. Reviewers of his first novel, Dollarapalooza, called it “…an outside-the-box tale too good to be missed” (Library Journal) and promised that "[Readers]... will find themselves thoroughly entertained by the wacky tale of a failed prodigal son who becomes the unsung alter ego of his family" (Booklist).