Baker City 1948

by George B. Wright

Reading about the gruesome death of someone you knew was like accidentally seeing your mother naked; it was too private, but you couldn t take it back. In January 1948, nine-year-old Philip Wade and his little brother David, move to the small Eastern Oregon town of Baker City where their father, Kenneth Wade, is about to begin his career as a mortician. In the spring, Philip s father hires Jack O Brien, a local recluse, to help him put on a new roof on their house. Three weeks later, a local schoolteacher is found beaten to death and Jack O Brien is accused of her murder. Kenneth Wade is the only person who advocates on O Brien s behalf fully believing the man to be innocent. Philip is a spellbound spectator and narrator of his father s consuming struggle to save a man he barely knows. Conversely he witnesses his mother, Margaret Wade, demonstrate a quiet determination to keep the specter of violence from distorting the lives of her sons. Twisted into the father s fixation to wrest Jack O Brien from custody, is the relentless memory of a boyhood friend who, when wrongly accused of a killing, hung himself in his jail cell. This long ago horror is key to Kenneth Wade s motivation he is caught up in the terrible present because of a past that will not let him go.

199 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kenneth Iltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Wright was not on my radar screen until a friend told me about him. I have read two of his books. Baker City 1948 is his first book. He lived there as a boy. My wife and I have spent a few days in Baker City in the summer for the last four or five years. While the book is set in Baker City, it doesn't play much of a role in the plot. The book could be set anywhere.

George Wright is a good writer. I look forward to reading more of his books.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a page-turner set in post-WWII northeastern Oregon, based on boyhood memories and told by that boy, now grown and looking back. Much of the small-town culture depicted here seems true to life: the prejudice, stereotypes, and assumptions about people in positions of authority. The charge of murder against a homeless veteran, though, as an easy way to assuage people's fears, could happen today in any size city.

[Sophia D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the detail about Baker City. And the mystery was also interesting, and the characters were great.

[Kevan Houser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The first-person, nine-year-old narrator really worked.

Overall an engaging, quick read with a satisfying conclusion.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and a fun read. If you want to enjoy some Oregon places, read George Wright

[Sara Elkington]

I might change this to a 5. Fast read. Just relaxing, exciting, mysterious and even comical enough. This felt like a twist on How to Kill a Mockingbird, set in eastern Oregon. This was a great read on my camping trip!

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book to read if you're from Baker county