Ann Commire
Mooreville is the story of Anne Commire's grandfather's family during Prohibition and the Depression. George Moore was first a barber and Justice of the Peace, then Chief of Police in Ecorse, Michigan, directly across the Detroit River from Windsor, Ontario. Over 80% of the illegal beer and liquor that entered the United States from Canada came directly into his town. How does George enforce the law among friends when bootlegging is one of the only jobs available to feed a family, and his own son may be involved? And, as Ecorse experiences gangland shootings, bombings, and mysterious murders, is Chief Moore himself becoming a target of the Black Legion, a little-known Klan-like organization which threatens and kills throughout Ohio and Michigan? After their mother dies a lingering death from tuberculosis, how do George's six daughters cope when he marries the controlling schoolteacher whom they all dislike? This, just when their father is preoccupied with crimes making the daily newspapers? Often hilarious, occasionally tragic, all of the events are true; exhaustively researched to accurately reflect the era, Commire's wit and delicious language bring this story to life.
Ann Commire
Mooreville is the story of Anne Commire's grandfather's family during Prohibition and the Depression. George Moore was first a barber and Justice of the Peace, then Chief of Police in Ecorse, Michigan, directly across the Detroit River from Windsor, Ontario. Over 80% of the illegal beer and liquor that entered the United States from Canada came directly into his town. How does George enforce the law among friends when bootlegging is one of the only jobs available to feed a family, and his own son may be involved? And, as Ecorse experiences gangland shootings, bombings, and mysterious murders, is Chief Moore himself becoming a target of the Black Legion, a little-known Klan-like organization which threatens and kills throughout Ohio and Michigan? After their mother dies a lingering death from tuberculosis, how do George's six daughters cope when he marries the controlling schoolteacher whom they all dislike? This, just when their father is preoccupied with crimes making the daily newspapers? Often hilarious, occasionally tragic, all of the events are true; exhaustively researched to accurately reflect the era, Commire's wit and delicious language bring this story to life.
About the Author:
In a long career which included both screenplays and non-fiction, Anne won four O'Neill drama awards and the prestigious Dartmouth Medal from the ALA for her ground-breaking, 17-volume encyclopedia, "Women in World History." Her 1990 book, a biography of Mariette Hartley, "Breaking the Silence," was a Book-of-the-Month Club Alternate Selection and became a best-seller.
