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Unquestioned Soul-Robbing Hollow Gods
James Sniechowski Author Interview
Worship of Hollow Gods is a provocative book that challenges the ‘hollow gods’ we worship. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Worship Of Hollow Gods was an important vehicle for Jim to continue to extricate himself from the “hollow gods” his family was immersed in.
You examine family, faith and the secrets we hold. What are some themes that were important for you to capture in this book?
Yes, the unquestioned soul-robbing hollow gods were family, alcohol, and the church.
I appreciated how you approached these sensitive topics. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
What we’ve seen over and over again is the reader leaving a review/telling us how this book helped them take a different look at the family “norms” they grew up with.
What are were some reader reactions that surprised you?
The only response that was surprising was the one star review on Amazon by someone who was impatient with all the descriptions and details and saw Jim’s character as “screwed up” blaming his parents and got bored. But, that’s not surprising from someone not interested in people’s internal lives.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Website
![Worship of Hollow Gods (Leaving Home Trilogy Book 1) by [Sniechowski, James]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51GukftuWNL.jpg)
In Worship of Hollow Gods, James Sniechowski bears witness to the world of a sensitive, nine-year-old boy, subjected to the underbelly of his Polish Catholic family in working class Detroit. The year is 1950. The family gathers for a Friday night family poker/pinochle party. The outcome reveals a world no one ever talked about then and are forbidden to talk about now—the unspoken, the impermissible, the reality beneath every family’s practiced facade—and what lies beneath when the front has been ripped away.
Worship of Hollow Gods
Young Jim takes us through a Friday night hangout with his Polish Catholic family. He takes note of the things only spoken of in silence and bowed heads. Things like alcoholism and the expectations that come with the position each person holds in the family. Though only a boy, he has a unique perception of his family. His view not yet colored with the urge to show a facade. With the innocence of a child, he offers the reader an honest view of every occurrence and lets the reader into even the darkest recesses of his family. This book will have readers looking at long standing family traditions and unique bonds that inadvertently dictate behaviors and personality traits.
James Sniechowski writing is pleasantly colorful, evocatively poignant and expressive. His talent brings forth a clear and strong image in the mind of the reader. He has an extraordinary ability to weave language into a beautiful piece of art that draws the reader deep into the plot. This book reveals family secrets that are secrets to only people outside the family. There is an unwritten rule in every family that some things are to remain unspoken. No one dares to talk about those things. No one but the children, of course.
This has been described as “unputdownable” and I would agree with that. I found myself reading way to long into the night. The reader is invited into the middle of a 1950’s working class family in Detroit. Character development is vital in the reader’s relationship with this story. You will see the slight and gradual change in how the people relate through the night as more Seven Crown is poured. You can almost hear the words slur and eyelids grow heavy.
If nothing else, this book will help you take a good look at your own life and help you take stock of the ‘hollow gods’ in your own life. This is an empowering book that will help you consider the steps required to ‘leave home’ if need be. This is the kind of book that stirs the pot and brings deep seated emotions to the surface. The title holds just the right amount of tenacity for this material.
Pages: 223 | ASIN: B07CNWV4CH
LITERARY TITAN 