Summer is the time for some fun light reading, right? We suggest you read a book authored by union shop steward Timothy Sheard. No kidding. Sheard draws from his work as a hospital nurse and a union activist (Local 1199) in a big city hospital. Lead character Lenny Moss was inspired by a custodian who served as a 1199 steward at the hospital where Sheard worked.
Sheard’s books are different from other mysteries. Rather than the typical Sherlock Holmes type of hero, Moss and his union brothers and sisters work as a collective group to discover the identity of the murderer. They also solve work place issues together. In one book, when management refuses to give workers time off to attend the funeral of a beloved co-worker, the staff marches on the Human Resource Director’s office and forces him to grant the time.
It is unique enough to find a series of novels that feature a community of workers using collective action and coordinated sleuthing to solve mysteries and keep the bosses honest. The fact that the intelligent and street wise leader of this unlikely team of detectives is a “lowly” custodian makes it more fun. Moss is disrespected and often just invisible to the doctors and managers, a fact he often turns to his advantage.
If you have a little time to relax and want to read well written mysteries by an pro-union author who understands unions and work place issues, check it out at http://www.timsheard.com/index.html.
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