David Sturm, a Baltimore native, was a retired newspaper reporter who resided in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended the University of Maryland and graduated from Towson University with an English degree. From 1976 to 1996, Mr. Sturm worked as a reporter and editor for the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal in Lancaster, PA. There, he covered the Three Mile Island nuclear accident among many other news events. He worked at the Prague Post, Czech Republic, and at Baltimore Sun weeklies in the Baltimore suburbs. Mr. Sturm retired in 2016. He is the author of three movie screenplays, and the novel WELCOME TO BREEZEWOOD (published in June 2019 by DPP). Mr. Sturm died on July 3, 2019.
REVIEWS OF BREEZEWOOD:
Just wanted to let you know that I am thoroughly enjoying “Welcome to Breezewood”. Picked up on a whim and it’s fantastic. Thanks for putting out quality work and bringing it to the masses. Otherwise where could we find such gems?
I can’t remember when I’ve had such fun inside of a book or when I’ve ever read such detailed descriptions of characters. And this book HAS some characters! The picture that Sturm paints is so vivid you can almost touch it. Sturm takes you on a dream-like escapade through time and territories making the reader look forward to the next page (isn’t that what it’s all about?). I was a huge Vonnegut fan in the 60s and 70. Sturm’s style is reminiscent of Vonnegut yet entirely new and refreshing. Read it and see what you think!
In his novel Welcome to Breezewood, author David Sturm evokes journeys where geography is mutable and time is slippery. Harold Worthington is on the run when his car breaks down here. A blow to the head miraculously leaves him with no sign of injury, but oddly elsewhere. He finds himself in 1933, in a joint where jazz musician Robert Parker is singing “Cross Road Blues” and musing about how the devil himself likes crossroads. Harold observes couple of armed men in an antique truck going about their business in the middle of the night. And Harold keeps moving, through time, place and history. Past lives burst forth. Today’s Breezewood had been on a trail for Native Americans, a stopping place Westward bound wagons, and a way station on the underground railroad, and the reality of those travelers is just a dream away. Virtuous, villainous, eccentric and homicidal folks, who volunteer pithy philosophies, are among Harold’s companions. He travels with an abolitionist named Elizabeth, the iconic Harriet Tubman and a group of brave people escaping bondage. As in most dreams, there are outrageous and humorous moments, like the time the motorcycle gang confronts British soldiers, and Harold’s offbeat encounters with his own pursuers. It’s a grandly imaginative tale, thoughtful, skillfully crafted, and gracefully written.
Breezewood moves like DaVinci Code and is a fast and righteous read. I liked that from the minute I opened it up I was caught and pulled through straight to the end.
I love the magical realism and the social justice aspects of the novel. The story kept me guessing and excited. Sturm’s main character is a likable rogue, and I loved seeing how much trouble he could get himself into. It would make a great movie!
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