Stanley Gordon West, 82, in Jan. (author: "Amos: A Novel about a Man Death Could Not Conquer")

[leno...@yahoo.com]

He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1932, moved to Montana in 1964, and eventually moved back to Minnesota. He died in Shakopee.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/stanley-gordon-west-author-with-love-of-montana-dies-at/article_71b86328-6bb8-5270-b568-ff46cdd282b6.html

Excerpt:

"...West is known for his first book, which was turned into a TV movie, 'Amos: To Ride a Dead Horse,' a story set in Montana about an abusive nurse in a nursing home. His most popular novel, 'Until They Bring the Streetcars Back,' a disturbing story set in 1949 St. Paul, about an abused girl and the boy who tries to save her, is currently in movie production."


http://www.twincities.com/entertainment/ci_27363875/stanley-gordon-west-early-twin-cities-self-publisher

Excerpts:

Stanley Gordon West, one of the Twin Cities' earliest self-publishers, died Wednesday morning at a Golden Valley nursing home from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 82.

West, who lived in Montana and more recently in Shakopee, worked mostly without an agent or publicist. His family estimates that he sold 100,000 books in his career.

His first novel, "Amos: To Ride a Dead Horse," was made into a CBS Movie of the Week starring Kirk Douglas. Readers embraced his St. Paul trilogy -- "Until They Bring the Streetcars Back," "Finding Laura Buggs" and "Growing an Inch." Those books came out between 1997 and 2003, preceded in 1995 by an unrelated ghost story, "Sweet Shattered Dreams."

...West's daughter Karen Karis remembers growing up in Montana "with lots of camping and being outdoors. Games and play were important, lots of stories. We played together but also worked at chores on the ranch. One year we had Cheerios for Thanksgiving and then put the money in a glass jar to be used when the 'hobos' came through or other needy families."

Karis said her dad was "a great influence on kids from youth groups and the camp where he was a director. Many of them became teachers because of how he had touched their lives."...


http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/01/21/stanley-gordon-west-way/22143367/
(this one claims that "Blind Your Ponies" was his best-known book)

http://hungryforgoodbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/blind-your-ponies-by-stanley-gordon.html
(from 2011: "If Hoosiers and Breaking Away are among your favorite movies and if you cheer for the underdog in the NCAA tournament, Blind Your Ponies is for you...")

http://www.startribune.com/authors-rewrite-the-book-on-self-publishing/114869199/
(from 2011 - about West and self-publishing)

http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7752.Stanley_Gordon_West
(reader reviews)

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/search/?q=Stanley%20Gordon%20West;t=author
(two Kirkus reviews)

From "Contemporary Authors":

"West's 1983 book Amos: A Novel about a Man Death Could Not Conquer is set in 1960s Montana. After losing his wife to a tragic accident that left him with a broken hip, Amos is forgotten by society when he is placed in the county poor house, Sunset Home, outside of town run by a tyrant head nurse. Believing his life is over, he resigns himself to die as quickly as possible and not be a burden to anyone. But after noticing the small cruelties, indignities, neglect, and evil around him, he musters his courage to say no and fight back against the injustice.

"In 1985 Amos was made into a CBS television movie starring Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Pat Morita (plus Dorothy McGuire and Ray Walston). It received four Emmy nominations and sparked a national debate over the treatment of the aged in America."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088713/reviews?ref_=tt_urv
(seven user reviews of "Amos")

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#tbm=vid&q=%22stanley+gordon+west%22
(videos)


WRITINGS:

Amos: A Novel about a Man Death Could Not Conquer, Rawson Associates (New York, NY), 1983, first revised edition published as Amos: To Ride a Dead Horse, Lexington-Marshall Pub. (Bozeman, MT), 2000.

Until They Bring the Streetcars Back, Lexington-Marshall Pub. (Bozeman, MT), 1997.
("Until They Bring The Streetcars Back serves up a nostalgic journey through the streets of post-war 1949 Saint Paul-- those wistful days of ten-cent sodas, big band music, and burning leaves. Stanley West weaves rollicking humor, riveting suspense, and a bittersweet love story into the fabric of those optimistic times. Through a seemingly harmless prank and a chance conversation, Cal Gant, previously secure in the friendly neighborhoods of his idyllic life, stumbles onto the naked face of cruelty, incest, and murder. When he attempts to rescue a strange and haunting girl, he finds himself in a heart-stopping struggle with her ruthless father, leading Cal to the brink of self-doubt, terror, and death itself. Can he find within himself the backbone to stand against the horror and the daring to concoct some scheme to set Gretchen free?")

Finding Laura Buggs, Lexington-Marshall Pub. (Bozeman, MT), 1999.
("... the devastating story of young Sandy Meyer. Bright and outgoing, having grown up through the Great Depression and the World War II years, she is suddenly given a perplexing clue to her past that sets her on an incredible and harrowing journey in search of her lost family-- a pilgrimage that brings her face to face with nerve-shattering suspense, unbearable terror, and the magnificent capacity of the human heart. Surrounded by juicy and wacky characters, and without the support of her adoptive parents, her devil-may-care friends, or the boy she desperately loves, she summons the courage to doggedly follow where the faint trail leads. When she stumbles upon the buried past and long-hidden treachery, she is confronted by an evil that knows her by name and is drawn into a darkness she never knew existed. Tenaciously refusing to quit, she discovers a heartbreaking heroism and an extraordinary triumph that changes her life forever.")

Blind Your Ponies, Lexington-Marshall Pub. (Bozeman, MT), 2001, Algonquin Books (Chapel Hill, NC), 2011.
("When Sam Pickett comes to the quiet little (Montana) village to hide from the violence and madness that have shattered his life, he discovers buried and shadowed stories fraught with aching regret, human wreckage, and heartrending bravery - people silently bearing their broken dreams and unbearable sorrows. Can they be aroused by the most unexpected and least likely source in their midst? encouraged and uplifted to embrace life for all its worth?")

Growing an Inch, Lexington-Marshall Pub. (Bozeman, MT), 2003.
("A story of a 18 year old boy struggling against all odds to keep his family together. After his mother dies, his alcoholic father can't care for his family properly and the boy fights against the welfare system that wants to separate him and his two brothers and sister. Set in St Paul in 1949-50, Donny Cunningham makes a vow to keep his family together and leads the reader on an adventure bright with humor, suspence and a boy's undaunted courage. A mainstream novel, a coming of age story.")

Sweet Shattered Dreams (2005).
("After squandering a life bright with promise, Sonny Hollister, a renowned folk singer finds himself down and out and running for his life. Then, just when he's convinced his life has passed him by, Sonny, by a twisted stroke of fate, is given a second chance at living. Can he get it right? Will he be able to evade the grinding loneliness that stalks him? Will he risk loving again? And, most of all, will he become the man he always could have been? A contemporary novel set in Montana.")

You Are My Sunshine (2013).
("Set on a Montana ranch in the mid-1800s, You Are My Sunshine tells the story of Abraham Rockhammer, his children, and his grandchildren. Abraham left Ohio with his pioneer spirit in his head and his heart. His piece of Montana did not come easy but was pristine until his new neighboryoung Henry Weebowstarted to mine for ore on the opposite side of the sacred mountain Abraham called home. Abrahams son Jeremiah must build a family to sustain the ranch and he marries the sophisticated Elizabeth Downing, who raised her children to read, cook, and dance. These children carry on despite unforeseen hardships and tragedy. The family grows in unexpected ways and their loyalty to the ranch and each other is tested to the breaking point.")



Lenona.

[Sarah Ehrett]

On Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:02:43 -0700 (PDT), leno...@yahoo.com wrote:

What a dreary lot.