July 2023 MBR The Biography Shelf

The Biography Shelf

Emperor Septimius Severus: The Roman Hannibal
Ilkka Syvanne
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399066655, $52.95, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Septimius-Severus-Roman-Hannibal/dp/139906665X

Synopsis: Lucius Septimius Severus (11 April 145 - 4 February 211) was the Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of the emperor Pertinax in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors. (Wikipedia).

One ancient source called Severus the most warlike of all men who had lived up to that moment in time. The rise of Septimius Severus to power started the dominance of the military in Roman affairs and it was because of this that Septimius's advice for his sons was nothing less than: 'Be harmonious, enrich the soldiers, and scorn all other men!'

With the publication of "Emperor Septimius Severus: The Roman Hannibal", historian and biographer Ilkka Syvanne explains in detail how the African Septimius Severus achieved his position, how he won his wars and battles and how he used his newly gained power to secure his family's position. He reveals how he reformed the state and its military, and how he used these remodeled forces in wars of conquest to prove his worth as emperor to both the soldiers and the populace.

This biography offers the first complete overview of the policies, events and military campaigns of Severus' reign in the fullest detail allowed by the sources. It also explains how and why these contributed to the military crisis of the third century and discusses the legacy he left for his son, Caracalla, who followed him in both his good and bad traits.

Critique: Impressively, exhaustively, and expertly researched, organized and presented biography, Professor Ilkka Syvanne's "Emperor Septimius Severus: The Roman Hannibal" brings out of relative obscurity on of Rome's particularly interesting emperors in a particularly violent and politically unstable periods. If there is any message arising from ancient Rome and still relevant today it is that the game of thrones is a blood sport. A fascinating and informative read, "Emperor Septimius Severus: The Roman Hannibal" is enhanced with the inclusion of plates, maps, diagrams, a list of abbreviations, two appendices (Arrian and Roman Battle Tactics; Frontinus and Combat Tactics on Land), thirteen pages of notes, a four page Select Bibliography, and a twelve page index. While highly recommended as an addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Roman Biography/History collections, it should be noted that "Emperor Septimius Severus: The Roman Hannibal" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Editorial Note: Ilkka Syvanne (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Ilkka-Syvanne/a/2164) gained his doctorate in history in 2004 from the University of Tampere in his native Finland. Since then he has written extensively about ancient and medieval warfare and his publications include: 'The Age of Hippotoxotai, Art of War in Roman Military Revival and Disaster 491-636' (Tampere UP 2004), 'The Reign of Gallienus' (Pen & Sword, 2019), the multivolume 'Military History of Late Rome' published by Pen & Sword and the critically acclaimed Caracalla. He is the co-author with Professor Katarzyna Maksymiuk of the 'Military History of Third Century Iran' (Siedlce UP, 2018) and the 'Military History of Fifth Century Iran' (Siedlce UP, 2019). He was Vice Chairman of the Finnish Society for Byzantine Studies from 2007 until 2016. He has been an Affiliated Professor of the University of Haifa since 2016. He lives in Kangasala, Finland.

Man of the People
Robert Garcia
Arte Publico Press
University of Houston
4902 Gulf Freeway, Bldg 19, Rm 100, Houston, TX 77204-2004
www.artepublicopress.com
9781558859630, $18.95, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Man-People-Autobiography-Congressman-Robert/dp/1558859632

Synopsis: Robert Garcia (January 9, 1933 - January 25, 2017) was born in the South Bronx of Puerto Rican parents. He became a US Congressman after serving in the New York State Assembly and Senate. "Man of the People" is Robert Garcia's personal memoir and follows his life of struggle and achievement, from the rough streets of the South Bronx to the cold muddy fields of South Korea, the New York Senate and ultimately the US House of Representatives.

Critique: Of special note is the Prologue by Bill Richardson and the Epilogue by Jane Lee Garcia. "Man of the People: The Autobiography of Congressman Robert Garcia" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Hispanic and Latin American Biography/Memoir collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Man of the People" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Robert Garcia was a United States representative who represented New York's 21st district (South Bronx). He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1965 and the New York State Senate in 1967, and then served in Congress from 1978 to 1990 and is listed on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Garcia_(New_York_politician)

Man of Treacherous Charm
Candace Wellman
Washington State University Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
www.wsupress.wsu.edu
9780874224221, $32.95, HC, 319pp

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Treacherous-Charm-Territorial-Fitzhugh/dp/0874224225

Synopsis: In 1857, coal mine manager Edmund C. Fitzhugh killed a drunken trespasser in his garden. Though Fitzhugh was under indictment for murder and only marginally qualified for the position, U.S. president James Buchanan made the stunning decision to appoint him to Washington Territory's District and Supreme Courts.

The blue blood Virginian lawyer had migrated to the California gold rush in 1849. After Fitzhugh's San Francisco law partner and others invested in a new Bellingham Bay coal mine, he moved north to open it. During the next ten years (including a few as Democratic Party chairman) he built and exploited his political network.

In addition to serving on the federal bench and managing the militarily strategic mine, he was a county auditor, became Governor Isaac Stevens' Treaty War military aide and Indian agent, and helped Stevens run the 1860 Breckinridge for President national campaign.

During the Civil War he returned home and was Confederate General Eppa Hunton's staff officer. After the war, he practiced law in a small Iowa town. Fitzhugh devastated the lives of four wives and six children, and eventually died alone in the fleabag remnant of a once prestigious San Francisco hotel.

Critique: Author and historical researcher Candace Wellman spent more than two decades researching Fitzhugh's life and contributions (both the good and the bad) to Pacific Northwest history. Although the court system played a large part in the region's future, "Man of Treacherous Charm: Territorial Justice Edmund C. Fitzhugh" is the first full biography of an early Washington Territory justice. This detailed and documented biography offers unique insights into the people, personalities, politics, and practices of the territory and the American West in the 19th century. Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a Fitzhugh genealogy, an Edmund C. Fitzhugh chronology, twenty-six pages of notes, a twelve page bibliography, and a twelve page index, "Man of Treacherous Charm: Territorial Justice Edmund C. Fitzhugh" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library 19th Century American Biography collections.

Editorial Note: Candace Wellman (https://wsupress.wsu.edu/product-author/candace-wellman) won the 2018 WILLA literary award for scholarly nonfiction from Women Writing the West, a national organization, for her book, Peace Weavers. She attributes much of her success to the generous assistance of mentors and over 200 contributors.

David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980
Jerome Soligny
Monoray
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781800960633, $39.99, HC, 704pp

https://www.amazon.com/David-Bowie-Rainbowman-Jerome-Soligny/dp/1800960638

Synopsis: With the publication of "David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980", Jerome Soligny presents a uniquely exhaustive work focused upon Bowie's 1967-1980 albums and drawing on over 150 interviews with the musicians, producers and friends who knew Bowie best, including Robert Fripp, Hermione Farthingale, Lou Reed, George Underwood, Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Trevor Bolder, Mike Garson, Woody Woodmansey and many, many others.

With an essay by Soligny on each album followed by oral histories from the most trusted and influential figures in Bowie's musical life, "David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980" is the definitive guide to a singular and mercurial genius -- the Rainbowman himself.

Critique: This massive and detailed biography of the life and work of music legend David Bowie includes an informative foreword by Tony Visconti, as well as an introduction by Mike Garson and cover photo by Mick Rock. Packed from cover to cover with iconic photographs and with striking cover design by Barnbrook, the edition of Jerome Soligny's "David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980" from Monoray publishing is a 'must' for the legions of David Bowie fans. While unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Rock Band/Musician biographies and histories, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Jerome Soligny is a musician, writer and journalist based in Le Havre, France. Over the course of 25 years, Jerome spoke with Bowie many times, and interviewed him on numerous occasions for Rock&Folk magazine. He was made Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2019 and is described by Bryan Ferry as 'one of the great French authorities on contemporary music'. (https://www.discogs.com/artist/276977-J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me-Soligny)

The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries
Stephen L. Hauser, M.D.
St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250283894, $29.00, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Face-Laughs-While-Brain-Cries/dp/1250283892

Synopsis: Stephen L. Hauser is an acclaimed physician and neuroimmunologist who has spent his career performing cutting-edge research on multiple sclerosis (MS), a devastating brain disease that affects millions of people worldwide. His work has revolutionized our understanding of the genetics, immunology and treatment of MS, and led to the development of B cell therapies -- the most effective therapy for all forms of MS and the only therapy currently in place for progressive MS patients.

"The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor" is a riveting memoir that follows Dr. Hauser from his unorthodox upbringing among the colorful cast of characters responsible for his development into a tenacious and innovative researcher, to the life-changing medical breakthroughs he has made against extremely long odds. Along the way, readers will learn the incredible stories of many of his patients, whose bravery, strength, and optimism in the face of a debilitating illness were instrumental to the progress that has been made in the fight against MS.

Critique: "The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor" is a fascinating and inspiring memoir that is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style, organization and presentation. Of particular relevance to readers with an interest in the diagnosis and treatment of nervous system diseases, as well as medical biographies, "The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor" is a highly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community/academic Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that "The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries: The Education of a Doctor" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Stephen L. Hauser (https://profiles.ucsf.edu/stephen.hauser) is a Distinguished Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, and Director of the Weill Institute for Neurosciences. His research as a physician-scientist has led to a powerful new approach to the treatment of multiple sclerosis, a disabling neurologic disease. His work has received numerous honors, such as the Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award, the John Dystel Prize, the Charcot Award, the Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Research, and the Scientific Breakthrough Award from the American Brain Foundation.

Boyhood Among the Woolies
Richard W. Etulain
Basalt Books
c/o Washington State University Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
www.wsupress.wsu.edu
9781638640073, $19.95, PB, 150pp

https://www.amazon.com/Boyhood-Among-Woolies-Growing-Basque/dp/1638640076

Synopsis: Like many Pacific Northwest sheep herders, Sebastian Etulain emigrated from Europe's Basque country. He arrived in Yakima in May of 1921, convinced that hard work could overcome a lack of formal education and other shortcomings. It became his doctrine, and he advanced to ranch owner before marrying Mary Gillard Foster.

The Etulain sheep ranch lay among rock ridges, carved out coulees, rounded hills, and rich grasslands twenty miles east of Ritzville and almost seventy miles south of Spokane. Isolated and sprawling across nearly ten thousand acres, it included a sturdy ranch house surrounded by hay barns, a water pump house, corrals, and pens for sheep, goats, dogs, and pigs. The spread also had a milking parlor and creamery, as well as a blacksmith shop.

The Etulains adopted seasonal rhythms. For about one third of the year, their own abundant pasture grasses provided sufficient fodder. In the summer they moved most of their animals up to mountains around St. Maries, Idaho, to feast on rich grasses there. But from November to March the sheep and cattle needed purchased feed, and plenty of it.

Growing up on a sheep ranch afforded Sebastian's boys a magical upbringing with magnificent memories -- despite the demanding work. With the publication of "Boyhood Among the Woolies: Growing Up on a Basque Sheep Ranch", his youngest son, Richard Etulain, reveals the family's story, while providing a rare look at life on an early eastern Washington sheep ranch. He recounts endless chores related to supplying feed and water, lambing season, sheep shearing, keeping animals safe, and fighting one of the largest dangers -- grass fires. Richard also describes family activities, relationships with hired staff, favorite dogs, brotherly pranks and shenanigans, schooling and church in Ritzville, Basque history, and more.

Critique: A fascinating life story that is as inherently interesting and it is impressively informative as to what growing up on an American sheep ranch was like. Illustrated with black/white historical photographs, "Boyhood Among the Woolies: Growing Up on a Basque Sheep Ranch" is unique and especially recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library American Biography/Memoir collections.

Editorial Note: Glowing reminiscences aside, author Richard W. Etulain never fell in love with ranching. He became a town and city dude, an award-winning historian who specializes in the history of the American West. He has given more than two hundred presentations on western and United States historical, literary, and cultural topics. He is the author or editor of over sixty volumes, and his books and essays have won several major prizes. Recent titles include Thunder in the West: The Life and Legends of Billy the Kid, and Abraham Lincoln: A Western Legacy.
(https://history.unm.edu/people/faculty/profile/richard-etulain.html).

I Hate You, Mary Sullivan
Barbara J. Williams
Cape House Books
9781939129154, $18.95, PB, 204pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hate-You-Mary-Sullivan-Inherited/dp/193912915X

Synopsis: Only in Ireland is Barbara Williams able to unlock the secrets of her late grandmother's troubled personality -- as well as her own anxiety.

Their Kenny ancestors were farm laborers who had endured famines, violent uprisings, and forced eviction threats. Her Nana, Mary Sullivan, had never breathed a word of it.

As Williams uncovers this painful past, she calls forth a love that heals her relationship with Nana fifty years after her death. Their intertwined stories, infused with Celtic spirituality and scientific insight, help unravel the mysteries that bind us all to our ancestors.

Critique: A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "I Hate You, Mary Sullivan" by Barbara J. Williams is an extraordinary blend of biography, memoir, and history. Exceptional eloquent, poignant, and memorable, "I Hate You, Mary Sullivan" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community/academic library Contemporary Biography & Memoir collections.

Where the Shadows Dance
Dana Killion
Amplify Publishing
https://amplifypublishinggroup.com
9781637556412, $24.95, HC, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Where-Shadows-Dance-Dana-Killion/dp/1637556411

Synopsis: It would be easy to say "Where the Shadows Dance" is a memoir about a marriage -- but marriage is simply the setting. In her memoir Dana Killion dives deep into what we do for love, what we do because of love, how love can break us, how love can save us, and how the most important love is the love we feel for ourselves because, without it, no other kind can ever be as rich.

A raw, vulnerable exploration of the damage that secrets and lies inflict, "Where the Shadows Dance" is both a deeply personal and yet universally recognizable story for every woman who has set herself aside because someone else's needs seemed greater.

In the words of Dana Killion -- He got sober. I got broken.

Critique: A deftly written and candidly presented true life story of love, loss, and alcoholism recovery, "Where the Shadows Dance" is a riveting read from cover to cover and will prove to be an especially welcome addition to community library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Where the Shadows Dance" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Growing up in Wisconsin, Dana Killion (https://www.danakillion.com) developed a curiosity for the world beyond the confines of small-town life, finding inspiration in the intrepid explorer, Nancy Drew. Dana's thirst for more exhilarating pastures led to a career in the apparel industry, and eventually, back to her love of story. She created a mystery series based on the long-lived desire to shed light on shadows. The series renders a journey through crime and corruption countered by her protagonist's ability to confront deceit. Dana currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with her kitty, Isabel, happily avoiding snow and mending her heart.

Rising
Graci Harkema
Page Two Books
https://pagetwo.com
9781774582510, $26.95, HC, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Mud-Boardroom-Back-Again/dp/1774582511

Synopsis: "Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom - and Back Again" is the inherently fascinating memoir of Graci Harkema, who revisits her experience growing up as an adoptee from the Congo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She traces her path to claiming and living her own story, becoming a successful consultant on diversity, equity and inclusion, racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, and women in business.

Born amid civil unrest in a mud hut in the Congo and weighing a mere three pounds, Harkema was left at an orphanage, where she was not expected to live another day. But that afternoon, a visiting American missionary saw her sleeping in a doll's bed and heard a voice inside her say, "This is your daughter."

Her childhood was spent wishing to be lighter and blonder, like her siblings and classmates. Out of fear of standing out even more from her peers, Harkema kept her sexuality a secret, only coming out of the closet years later -- during a job interview! Eventually, she learned to see her identity as her superpower, instead of her shame.

Today, Harkema helps embrace diversity and drive inclusion to ensure open and safe work environments. She is committed to empowering employees to perform to their potential as their authentic selves - setting an example as she continues to live her own story, journeying to meet her birth mother, to discover one more piece of herself.

Critique: Candid, informative, compelling, "Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom - and Back Again" is the extraordinary life story of an extraordinary woman and will be of special appeal to readers with an interest in an unusual LGBTQ+ biographies and memoirs. Exceptionally well written and presented, "Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom - and Back Again" is highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom - and Back Again" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Graci Harkema (https://www.graciharkema.com) is the owner of Graci LLC, a consultancy providing training and speaking on diversity, inclusion and implicit bias for Fortune 500, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. The Grand Rapids Business Journal has named her a 40 Under 40 Business Leader of West Michigan, and one of the 200 Most Powerful Business Leaders of West Michigan. Graci received national media attention in 2019 for publicly resigning from a prominent Diversity & Inclusion leadership role to make a stand for racial equity and justice. Passionate about serving her community, she volunteers her time on LGBTQ+ non-profit boards and committees. She is also an avid supporter of her parents' faith-based non-profit, Heart for Central Africa, in her hometown of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

One Reason to Live
Christine Rose
Blue Moose Press
9781936960705, $14.95, PB, 360pp

https://www.amazon.com/One-Reason-Live-Memoir-Surviving/dp/1936960702

Synopsis: After a series of traumatic events (including the end of a 15-year marriage and multiple sexual assaults), Christine Rose discovers she must face the reality of her life, or end it. On a scrap of paper she writes "Reasons to Live." It stays blank for days. Then, she remembers her old dream: move to Europe.

By pet-sitting in exchange for lodging, Christine made this dream a reality, finding solace in exploring new landscapes and spending time with animals. Against a backdrop of fur-filled adventures and cultural revelations, she battles the demons of C-PTSD and grief as she attempts to rebuild her identity and her life.

"One Reason to Live: A Memoir About Surviving Trauma" by Christine Rose embodies a visceral experience of living with psychiatric injury, combined with the power of radical acceptance, sweetened by the healing quality of animal companionship and the joy of embracing self-love.

Critique: An eloquently written, deeply personal, yet universally recognizable personal life story of trauma and recovery, "One Reason to Live: A Memoir About Surviving Trauma" by author, nomad, and survivor Christine Rose is a significant and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in trauma recovery for themselves or a loved one that "One Reason to Live: A Memoir About Surviving Trauma" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Christine Rose (https://christineroseauthor.com) is a tech nomad and international pet sitter who straddles life between Portland and London, the city of her soul. She's published twelve books, including the critically-acclaimed memoir One Reason to Live, the award-winning 5-book fantasy series Rowan of the Wood, and the bestselling Steampunk romance Avalon Revisited. She holds both a BA and MA in British Literature, which helps keep her professional, but copious amounts of dark chocolate, frothy mochas, and silent solitude keep her sane.

Roses and Thorns
Michelle Goni, M. D.
New Degree Press
9798885042833, $28.99, HC, 194pp

https://www.amazon.com/Roses-Thorns-memoir-esque-compilation-beautiful/dp/B0BHT72284

Synopsis: With the publication of "Roses and Thorns: a memoir-esque compilation of a beautiful and messy life", Michelle Goni presents a collection of raw, emotional, and empowering prose poetry in which she shares honest, heartfelt, sometimes gut-wrenching stories of fear, failure, and pain as well as warm, inspiring, and relatable poems of love, evolution, and transformation. Her deftly crafted memoir gives the reader permission to embrace a perfectly imperfect life.

Michelle's personal journey invites the reader to share their own stories by deeply connecting with her written words, thoughts and feelings. Her poems are humbling and they normalize vulnerability, a tool she uses to overcome shame and fear.

"Roses and Thorns" will spark introspection, inspire empathetic relationships, and help the reader discover authentic self-acceptance.

Critique: Eloquent, sensitive, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, In "Roses and Thorns: a memoir-esque compilation of a beautiful and messy life" is an inherently fascinating, uniquely presented, and ultimately inspiring life story -- one that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While also available for personal reading lists in a paperback edition (9798885045865, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99), "Roses and Thorns" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir and American/Hispanic Prose Poetry collections.

Editorial Note: Michelle Goni, MD (https://www.facebook.com/mgonimdauthor) uses the written word as a powerful voice for her soul. She was raised by an immigrant, Renaissance-like, often stoic father who labeled her creativity as distracting. His rigid parenting and control led Michelle to a limited and perfectionist mindset. While this helped keep her focused on becoming a medical doctor, it took years to learn to love herself as she was and fully appreciate her journey.

All the Memories That Remain
E.M. Liddick
Warren Publishing
www.warrenpublishing.net
9781960146090, $29.95 Hardcover/$16.95 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/All-Memories-That-Remain-Alzheimers/dp/1960146092

All the Memories That Remain is E.M. Liddick's memoir about returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan to a life in shambles. The realizations about his life that hit him when he returned were there all along when he left, but became unavoidable as absence and return resulted in life inspections he could no longer deny. He no longer loved his wife of eleven years. His father, who suffered from early-onset Alzheimer's, was there only in spirit and history, but lived on. These and other life-changing experiences were brought home, ironically, by his role as a soldier: "...my involvement in Afghanistan, my participation in administering death, was to be the force that overcame inertia. And when I came back and heard the first ominous whispers of change within me, that ability to breathe without noticing fell away, and I suddenly came face-to-face not only with post-traumatic stress and moral injury but also unresolved grief over the loss of my father.

This is a life story with many threads, wrapped around a skein of hope. A hope found in rediscovered letters and exhumed memories." The raw, emotional quality of Liddick's inspection translates to a fluid form that moves back and forth in time to pursue memories and experiences of grief and healing.

Memories and interactions that cement the experiences of and relationship between father and son create a moving testimony to the power of transformative thinking, adaptation, and life changes: "Dad is everywhere and in me: buried in the memories, the stories, the words - in the love that never dies. I want a return not to the hearthstone of a town but to the hearthstone of the heart. With this observation, I feel Dad close. A warmth slowly spreads through my body, and for a moment, I feel less hollow; the homesickness disappears. Dad can't forget me if I don't forget him. And so long as the moon continues to rise, I won't. Maybe, just maybe, that some thing I've been searching for out there has been in here the entire time."

At stake in these memories are the circumstances of coping with life, love, and loss which juxtapose a military experience and perspective with the lasting impact of emotional storms occurring at home.

As Liddick traverses the field of memories and experiences that brought him to new realizations, readers follow his foray in and out of service, his home life and shifting priorities, and the relationships that experienced tumult and disconnection through many different circumstances.

The memoir could have been labeled 'Metamorphosis' because the hard, gritty blend of recollections and interpersonal encounters and clashes results in a special form of revelation and hard realizations that are not recommended for the faint of heart, but readers who can absorb and appreciate the dual lessons of trauma and emotional containment. Vivid inspections and interactions pull no punches in capturing the milieu of military and civilian life and the long-term impact of observing the results of military actions: "Sometimes the body will twitch. The person is dead, but the body still twitches."

The result is a powerful tribute to veterans, families facing the hurdles and impossible circumstances of aging parents, and those interested in the psychological process and life incarnations of redemption, healing, and change. Its powerful family recollections and interactions will ideally spark interest not just in libraries strong in veteran biographies and family stories of aging, but in reader discussion groups interested in books and stories that guide the heart towards better understanding, resolution, and healing: "I can find my dad's essence in every moment that brings me happiness, peace: his singing in the birdsong; his mystery and hard exterior and hidden emotions in the heavy fog and icy edges and black rock; his playfulness in the otters; his seriousness in the calm lake; his love of rain in the mist; his twinkle in the golden glow on the mountain's slope - his entire life, his entire being, captured in the ups and downs, the mountains and valleys, the light and dark."

On Old 67
Steven Clark
Independently Published
9798353357964, $16.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Old-67-Missouri-Memoir/dp/B0BGNHF6LW

On Old 67 is a memoir of coming of age in Missouri, and captures the milieu of bygone eras and pathways as Steven Clark traverses the "asphalt river" of Highway 67 and chat dumps of its geography and life.

The first thing to note about On Old 67 is the rich, revealing tone of life's progression that leads readers through unfamiliar territory. Steven Clark does not assume that his audience either knows Missouri in general or these small rural towns in particular. Thus, he lends an explorative and explanative hand to his memoir that blends historical and cultural examination into the story of his life's progression.

Events are channeled through this funnel of first-person experience in an evocative manner to bring the events, the region's culture and politics, and his family to life: "Dad was one of those urging its implementation. He mentioned fair to poor ambulance response from his Highway patrol days. (Once, he told me and Gary, two rival ambulances came to an accident, and the attendants got into a fistfight. Dad had to jerk the fist-swinging attendants loose...while the victims were still moaning and bleeding). It was fun seeing him on TV, in his usual white shirt and dark tie, confident and explaining the need for a new system, his authoritative voice deep and pleasant. I was proud seeing him on the news. Mother and Ebie refused to watch. 'Him trying to be a 'big man' like always,' sneered Mother. Ebie, arms folded, nodded. 'He walked out on his family. That'll never change.' At times, Gary and I wondered...aloud to ourselves, as we did, plinking off rounds ...if Dad had done the right thing after all." On Old 67 represents a road trip through bygone years, influences, and culture.

Readers who take a back seat car ride through Steven Clark's life and times receive vignettes about small-town life that impart a sense of growth and change that sweeps the author and his family into altered lives: "We drove north on highway 67, passing Old 67 on the west side of the new highway; twisted, plugged up with asphalt here and there, cracks of black spread out that I wrote of at the beginning, recalling Rorschach tests. The old road's scraps of habitation are often hidden in high, uncut weeds and wild bush competing with formerly inhabited houses now abandoned with their rotting wood, or single-room sized service stations with broken windows and rusting signs whose brown creep ate away at formerly cheerful or functional lettering." In the end, the remnants of these byroads and choices of the past, captured in memoirs like On Old 67, are all that's left to point out milestones of the past and methods by which it transforms into new environments and perceptions.

Libraries and readers seeking memoirs steeped in stories of survival and change will find that On Old 67 brings these times to life. It will attract memoir readers from all walks of life who are interested in dysfunctional family makeups and the process of integrating and surviving them as time passes and people and places change.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review