Moonshine

by Justin Benton

Set in the Great Depression, a boy begins to question his and his father's illicit lifestyle brewing moonshine in the Tennessee wilderness and finds himself facing not only vengeful gangsters and a corrupt sheriff, but also the possibility of losing his Pa.

To keep food on the table during the Great Depression, thirteen-year-old Cub helps his widower father illegally distill and sell moonshine, despite Prohibition. However, their relaxed business is interrupted when a gangster named Salvatore arrives and offers a once-in-a-lifetime distribution deal to Cub's father. Eager for a safer lifestyle, Cub decides to interfere with the gangster's negotiations and end the deal. However, this broken arrangement backfires, forcing Cub to make some business decisions before things turn deadly. In this coming-of-age historical adventure by a debut author, Cub must race against time to not only save his father's life, but also their future.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Family, Juvenile, Historical

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2019

Reviews

[Justin S · Rating 3 out of 5]

No matter how desperate you are, don't do wrong things.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Cub and his widower father live in the backwoods of Tennessee, where they brew homemade moonshine as their livlihood during the Great Depression and Prohibition. When a gangster offers them a deal, Cub does everything he can to find a way out of their illicit lifestyle, but almost loses his dad in a deal gone bad.

This debut author hooked me with the opening line--"I swore off drinking whiskey the night before I turned thirteen." I found the whole process of distilling whiskey quite interesting and imagine there were many children tied to this type of lifestyle during the Great Depression, rather than attending school.

The author knows quite a bit about bootlegging and brewing moonshine. I wish he had mentioned how he came to know this knowledge in an author's note. I'll be on the lookout for more books by Mr. Benton.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quiet book, but it is excellent. I enjoyed reading about Cub, and liked him very much as a character. His father, too. I found the story to be realistic and compelling, and am excited to introduce this aspect of prohibition to middle schoolers when I promote our Summer Reading program during school visits in May.

[Darryl Alder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great children's book that will inspire courage. The author's detail paints a picture that any adult can see through the words. For kids the adventure is compelling. It is filled with intrigue and is suspense-filled, but the outcome is worth the long way it takes to get there. It is very nearly written as a mystery that unravels so slowly that the ending will take you by surprise.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes place during the depression and Cub's dad is really having a hard time making ends meet. Moonshine is a big business but illegal and his dad gets mixed up in it. Cub had a hard time reconciling these and other moral issues. I think this is a great book for discussion.

[Jan]

depression era and 'moonshine'
for a little older child

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depression era, father/son relationship, judgement, bullying, friendship, this book has it all. Highly recommend this page turning story.

[Literary Strawberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5. Perfectly readable, just not super memorable.

[Robin Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story

[JR Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice novella about a boy and his pa trying to make it all work in prohibition era America. Short, simple, and easy to read.

[Jan Benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been raised in the Deep South, to me this book is very accurate in its portrayal of life in those times. The father/son relationship is pivotal. They share a need to survive in a very difficult time and both are trying in their own ways to make survival possible. This book shows what a bit of cleverness,
a lot of hard work, honesty and an abundance of love can turn things around. It is a lovely book about hardship, relationships and love.

[Melissa McGhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual read but I picked it up and was engrossed from the first line. I rooted for Cub all the way through. That last 10% of the book was high paced and anxiety inducing but I gotta love a happy ending <3