Alternate Histories, Hidden Trauma, Musical Legacy, and Jail Life to Meet at Frankfurt Book Fair 2026

Frankfurt Book Fair 2026 will provide a meeting point for four works that approach subjects rarely considered side by side, from an imagined European history and the legacy of a Russian-American composer to childhood trauma and life inside a Massachusetts jail.

The Maple Staple, with Inks & Bindings as co-exhibitor, will present the books by Eric Hausker, Benjamin Folkman, Patricia Grenelle, and Jonathan C. Tetherly from October 7 to 11 at Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The titles will be physically displayed at Hall 5.1, Stand D86.

In “Greater Germany I: The Resistance,” Eric Hausker asks what might have happened if Hitler had been assassinated in 1943 and Germany had negotiated an early end to the war. The alternative history moves forward to 1989, when the Greater German Reich remains in control of territories including Poland. American journalist Robert Davison arrives in Warsaw to report on the regime, but his encounter with young Polish resistance figures exposes the realities beneath decades of propaganda and occupation.

Born in Minnesota, Hausker developed an early interest in European history and learned German and Spanish in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the subject. He is now retired and lives with his wife in New Jersey.

Music history takes center stage in Benjamin Folkman’s “Alexander Tcherepnin: A Compendium,” a three-volume collection devoted to the Russian-American composer. Its materials include biographical writings, Tcherepnin’s autobiography, his reflections on musical language, memoirs and tributes, and historical and technical analyses of 17 of his works.

Folkman has led The Tcherepnin Society as president since 2000 and has also worked as a composer, lecturer, and writer on music. His professional history includes more than 150 essays for the New York Philharmonic program book and a gold record connected to his collaboration on Switched-On Bach.

Patricia Grenelle’s “We Were a Nice Normal Family: A Memoir of Recovery from C-PTSD and the Trauma of Narcissistic Abuse” looks beneath the appearance of an ordinary childhood to examine the lasting effects of abuse, abandonment, emotional neglect, and C-PTSD. A retired forensic psychologist and survivor herself, Grenelle brings both clinical knowledge and lived experience to a memoir written in part to honor her sister Josie. The book traces the impact of childhood trauma into adulthood while addressing recovery and the possibility of rebuilding a productive and fulfilling life.

Grenelle lives in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona with her husband, retired U.S. Army Major Ed, and her service dog, JP.

Jonathan C. Tetherly turns his attention to a setting most readers experience only from the outside in “What’s Going On In There? A Jail Chaplain’s Story.” Drawing on 30 years as a Massachusetts jail chaplain, he examines relationships among inmates, correctional staff, educators, clergy, counselors, and volunteers while considering the changing culture of incarceration. His account begins at the 104-year-old Hampden County Jail and House of Correction in Springfield and follows its transition to the Hampden Correctional Center in Ludlow.

His work addresses not only worship and counseling, but also crisis intervention, advocacy, justice, rehabilitation, and the place of faith within correctional settings.

From speculative history to documented musical scholarship, personal testimony, and firsthand institutional experience, the four books demonstrate how independent authors can bring overlooked questions and experiences into wider conversations. The Frankfurt Book Fair offers a setting where these very different works can be encountered alongside one another, each retaining its own subject, voice, and point of view.

The books will be on physical display at The Maple Staple and Inks & Bindings’ Stand D86 throughout the five-day fair. Readers planning a visit can find the exhibition details on The Maple Staple’s Frankfurt Connect page, while the broader 2026 presentation is outlined on The Maple Staple’s Frankfurt Book Fair website feature. Each title is also available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other leading book retailers worldwide.

Contact Information

Emmanuel Laguardia

Director

Bookside Press

Contact via E-mail