Pages Bookstore to Host Local Author of “Oh, Beautiful” Family Memoir

March 12, 2011 - PRLog -- Located in the perfect spot for a midday Saturday breather, the popular Manhattan Beach bookstore called Pages will host local author John Paul Godges for a casual “sit-and-sign” event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

Godges will be hanging out at the store for a couple hours and signing copies of his family memoir, Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century, for anyone who wants to kick back for a while and maybe just shoot the breeze. Nothing formal. No speeches. Just bring a towel if you want to hit the beach before or after.

Pages is situated a block from the beach and a few short blocks south of the Manhattan Beach Pier. The address is 904 Manhattan Avenue. That’s in California.

“It should be a nice day at the beach,” said Godges. “Great spring weather without the gnarly summer traffic.”

Godges and his brothers and sisters grew up in nearby Redondo Beach, where they still have lots of friends. He admits, however, that Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach are sort of like cross-town rivals, owing to the longtime competition between Redondo Union High School in the former and Mira Costa High School in the latter.

“It’s funny, because there really never was much competition between the schools,” recalled Godges, who attended Redondo Union High School and was active in its journalism program. “That’s because Costa almost always beat us in everything. Except for one thing. We were always better writers.”

# # #

Oh, Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century is a courageous family memoir that explores what it means to be American.