American Music by Jane Mendelsohn

Oddly enough, my least favorite teacher in high school left me with a quote and a lesson that I continue to remember to this day ~ "Music has a way of affecting all of us."  He's absolutely right, at least in my experience.  If you think about all of the little jingles we put together for children to learn the alphabet and their vowel sounds; if you think about how many cell phone lights wave in response to a ballad sung at a concert; if you think about the motivational spark music lights under our feet during our workouts; and if you think about how many of us roll down our car windows, blast that tune, and sing at the top of our lungs without a care for who's watching us, then yes, I would say that music definitely has a way of touching us all.

And this latest read, American Music, definitely sang to me.  If this were a song at a concert, my cell phone light would be waving.

Jumping among several decades, the novel weaves and binds the stories and fates of its seemingly disjointed characters. Characters' stories are revealed through a physical therapist's touch as she works with a wounded Iraq war veteran, Milo.  Honor's therapy sessions with Milo draw out each story that reveal a lyrical and secretive history to which Honor surprisingly discovers she is a part of.  The common thread that they all share is their connection to music. Whether they play an instrument, make the instrument, or just enjoy listening to music, it is the common denominator that drives their destiny.  This is a novel that makes you think about every choice you make, why you make it, and who it will eventually effect in the long run.  It is a story that makes you think about the importance of listening to the song that sings to your heart.