Onion John

Summary

Twelve year old Andy Rusch forms an unlikely friendship with Onion John, an eccentric immigrant handyman who lives by superstition and old country traditions on the edge of a small New Jersey town. When the townspeople decide to improve John's life by building him a modern house, their well meaning charity clashes with his own wishes and tests Andy's growing sense of independence from his father. The novel explores generational expectations, community, and the right of a person to live as he chooses.