The Twenty Dollar Bill (Paperback)

~ Elmore Hammes (Author)
Key Phrases: issue seventeen, Elmore Hammes, The Twenty Dollar Bill, Quickie Mart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Follow the path of a twenty dollar bill as it is stolen, given, spent or otherwise passed from person to person, traveling from place to place. No bombastic explosions, steamy sex scenes, political intrigue or cosmic encounters. Just slices of life from the people you walk by every day - glimpses into how ordinary people interact, how they think, how they feel and how they love. A contemporary novel exploring every day interactions and relationships.

About the Author

Elmore Hammes has published several novels, including The Holmes & Watson Mysterious Events and Objects Consortium: The Case of the Witch's Talisman (middle grade mystery/fantasy), The Twenty Dollar Bill (contemporary fiction) and The Cloud (science fiction). His short stories have recently appeared in The First Line and Espresso Fiction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Kanapolis Fog Publishing Emporium (November 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061514716X
• ISBN-13: 978-0615147161
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,089,161 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Novel Idea, July 21, 2009

By	Red Adept "redadept.wordpress.com" (Carolinas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Plot/Storyline: 4.5 Stars

I loved the idea behind this book. The author takes us on a journey of a twenty bill while giving us brief glimpses of the lives it touches.

I liked the fact that the twenty didn't seem to have a whole lot of effect on anyone. It didn't save anyone's life and no one died over it. Often, it was just given as change for a larger bill. Instead of trying to inject mysticism, the author chose realism.

You would also get to see different events unfolding from different viewpoints. Truth is in the eye of the beholder.

Unfortunately, the book loses some of its cohesive feel towards the end. There were just a few too many 'stories'. However, this is only by maybe the last 3 or 5, not including the last necessary two.

Character Development: 3.5 Stars

I think the author would have been better served to have the twenty cross fewer hands and instead have given more in depth views of the lives it touched. We are given very brief glimpses into people's lives, so brief that good character development is almost not possible.

I will add that the author did develop as much as he could within the boudaries of his format.

Writing Style: 5 stars

Each segment was told with flair. The author did extremely well telling each part through the voices of different characters. His storytelling method is wonderfully condensed while still being informative.

Editing/Formatting: 5 Stars

There were no editing or Kindle formatting problems.

Overall: A terrific book that I enjoyed immensely. I have already purchased another book by this author that I am looking forward to.

Rating: PG for some adult situations

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a ride that $20 had, December 19, 2007

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Andrea Barry for Reader Views (12/07)

"The Twenty Dollar Bill" is a surprisingly good read. After reading the back of the book, I did not have much hope for what was contained inside. What I found, however, was something entirely different than what I expected.

Author Elmore Hammes takes us on a ride through the life of a twenty dollar bill. The book opens a little differently than expected by starting immediately into the life of Claire, a waitress at a diner who is rushing to get to work on time. She is approached by a bum and instead of rushing past him, she stops and sees him for who he is -- someone who has had a rough go at life and could really use some help. She decides to give him her last twenty dollars and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, a hug as well. This simple act starts the book off as we learn that Claire will likely lose her job. We then move to the old man and his perspective at receiving the money and the hug from Claire. We learn the man's name is Joe and that he hasn't eaten in days and he genuinely plans to use the money she gave him to get something to eat for himself. As Joe advances across the mall parking lot where he encountered Claire, he is approached by three young men intent on harassing him and taking his money.

The entire book proceeds in this manner, giving us a small glimpse into the life of each person as they come into possession of this money. I found that the story was just that as it finally wraps onto itself and "The Twenty Dollar Bill" finds its way back into Claire's hands a couple weeks after the fateful day on which she gave the money to Joe. I won't ruin the ending, but suffice it to say, that the books ends well. I feel like I truly read a story as opposed to a collection of very short stories.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy, February 11, 2008

By	Breeni Books "www.breenibooks.com" (Rockwell, NC) - See all my reviews

Have you ever received a tattered dollar bill and wondered where it has been? Or have you ever paid for something and wondered where that money will go next? Those are the questions that Elmore Hammes attempts to answer in The Twenty Dollar Bill.

The concept is simple, yet intriguing; Hammes traces the path of a twenty dollar bill as it weaves its way in and out of the lives of various people. He takes what could have been a flat story tracing the whereabouts of a particular bill and creates an enjoyable web of characters. In fact, the characters are more important than anything else in this book. There is no continuous plot. The book itself is an interwoven series of vignettes linked only by the presence of the twenty dollar bill.

The journey starts with Claire. She gives her last twenty dollar bill to a homeless man at the bus stop. She stops to hug him and consequently misses her bus. If Claire is late to work one more time she will be fired. As Claire boards the later bus, her fate seems to be sealed, but the reader can't be sure because she drifts out of the picture. Hammes then tells a bit of Joe's story. Joe is the homeless man from the bus stop. He plans to use the money for dinner at Ponderosa, but he loses the money to some young thugs before he gets the chance. The story continues as the bill passes from one person to another.

One of the most interesting things about this book is the variety of people that possess the bill. It starts with an average woman and then passes to a homeless man, onto thugs, and then to an elderly woman. The journey continues through the hands of a gas station clerk, a bouncer, a cabbie, a drug dealer, and a wealthy woman. The bill makes its way throughout the United States and even to Mexico. Then it comes back to America and finds its way back to Claire. Along the way it sees the start of several possible romances, a mission trip, and two people attempting to make a fresh start.

Each person has his or her own brief storyline. As the bill passes on, the cast of characters changes and a new story begins. At times this is frustrating to the reader. There is no real closure with any character or set of characters. I wanted to know what happened with some of the relationships beyond the few moments where the twenty dollar bill was in their lives. Amazingly, I did care about some of the characters despite their lack of development.

In The Twenty Dollar Bill, Elmore Hammes accomplishes exactly what he promises on the back of the book. He provides "a brief glimpse into the lives of ordinary people as they interact with one another." The resulting book is a fascinating look at the world around us that we never really see. It is a quick, enjoyable read that will make you think twice about the bills in your wallet.