Rufus at the Door & Other Stories

by Jon Hassler

Before Jon Hassler was a published novelist, he taught at a community college and wrote short stories. This is a collection of seven stories by the great Minnesota writer.

Highlights include:

• Dodger’s Return, in which a man, at his class reunion, regrets the way he handled a friendship in 5th grade;

• Winning Sarah Spooner, in which two neighbors come together with the help of books; and

• Agatha McGee and the St. Isidore Seven, in which Hassler’s most famous character gets caught up in the threat of a teachers’ strike.

Also included is a personal and heartbreaking piece written by Hassler. It is part of a Christmas letter he sent to friends, and it addresses his battle with Parkinson’s disease.

When I moved to Minnesota last year, I was thrilled to be living in the land of Jon Hassler. He is my favorite Minnesota author. Heck, he is one of my all-time favorite authors ever. His characters are real, and Minnesota isn’t just a setting for his stories; it is often a character itself. His stories are the best, and all of them are worth reading.

6/13/10