The Thing With Willie : Bergamot Books : 9780976090588 : 0976090589 : 07 Oct 2012 : These wise, humorous, and poignant stories explore the parallel paths of two families, one white and one African American, as they confront profound historical developments of the twentieth century. The book opens with the Great Depression and its tragic impact on Willie, a black oysterman, and then moves back and forth in time to encompass the Galveston hurricane of 1900, New Orleans corruption in the 1930s, wartime Vietnam, and the Fourth of July millennium celebration on Galveston beach. These climactic events challenge and illuminate the lives of Sagstetter's buoyant and resourceful characters, including Laurena, a young jeweler in Oaxaca; Anna, a devoted chef in Galveston; Eva, a World War II ham radio operator; Speaker of the House Scott Preston, adrift in a dark gallery of Asian statues; Louis, a shoe salesman obsessed with gemstones; and Charlotte, an African American linguist. Largely set in th