The writer Michael Chabon, or “language magician” as he has been called, is that rare combination of not only a best- selling author but also a Pulitzer Prize winner (For the Amazing Adventures of Kavallier and Clay). This book begins with a deathbed confession to a grandson.  The resulting stories range from the Jewish slums of pre-war Philadelphia, to the invasion of Germany, from a Florida retirement village to the penal utopia of a New York prison…..with Chabon’s characteristic exuberance and joy.