Limestone

LIMESTONE Jake Tanski is an intellectually gifted 15-year-old who lives in Cleveland with his mother. Despite his intelligence, Jake struggles with bitterness over the death of his father, several years earlier, in a military accident. These internal struggles propel Jake into bouts of self-destructive behavior–drinking, smoking pot, and fighting–which have become more frequent and intense by the end of his freshman year. In the summer of 2001, Jake’s mother is at her wit’s end and decides to send Jake to live with her father-in-law for a year in Rogers City, a small town in Michigan whose economy revolves around the world’s largest limestone quarry. Seventy-year-old Grandpa Nick is highly regarded by fellow residents, who call him “Chief” out of respect for his former Air Force rank as a Chief Master Sergeant. Chief is a disciplined man who runs daily, volunteers at the local library, attends church, and operates a repair shop out of his garage. When Chief lays the ground rules for Jake’s regimented life in Rogers City, Jake resists mightily. The two argue, and Chief even comes close to striking his grandson in response to smartass comments. We also learn of heavy baggage Jake carries regarding his own name: He was named for his father, who himself was named for one Jake Lambert, an airman who took a sniper’s bullet to the head in Korea while dragging Chief to safety. Jake concludes that Chief must be reminded of “The Dead Jakes” every time he looks at him. Jake discovers that Chief’s next-door neighbors are the Harris family, African Americans living in an essentially all-white town; hence, outsiders like Jake. They are New York City transplants, in their second year in Rogers City for Mr. Harris’s engineering assignment at the limestone quarry. Jake falls hard for 15-year-old Jasmine Harris, who has a crush on a local boy. Jake’s frustration with Jasmine leads him to a night of drunken stupidity at a lakeside teen dance. While Jake is grounded for his behavior, Jasmine visits him often at Chief’s house, and the two develop a close friendship. Jasmine shares that her Aunt Kristen, her 26-year-old confidante, is her lifeline to NYC. Aunt Kristen is a rising star at a law firm with offices in one of the Twin Towers, but she makes time to communicate with her niece every day. Even Aunt Kristen is rooting for Jake to turn his life around, and she requests a photo of the young friends to hang in her office. Jake experiences some bumps during his first week at Rogers City High School, but Jasmine proves adept at calming him and bringing out the best in him. When the Harrises take Jake on a day trip to Mackinac Island, the two teenagers find their relationship moving into a new stage as boyfriend-girlfriend. Just as Rogers City life is settling into a comfortable routine for Jake, the world is rocked by the 9/11 terror attacks. Jake must draw on his newfound strength and decency to support Jasmine as she and her family deal with their deeply personal loss.