Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Amy Lignor is talking with Russ Walsh, author of A Parent’s Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century: Navigating Education Reform to Get the Best Education for My Child
FQ: With a 45-year career in public education, can you give readers/parents an inside look at your observations when it comes to the monumental changes that have occurred in public schools?
WALSH: The most significant change in public education has been the result of a concerted campaign to ensure that the public loses trust in public school teachers, administrators and schools. This campaign, which began in 1983 with the A Nation at Risk report and has continued through both Republican and Democratic administrations through No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top has done the American public a great disservice. Undermining the trust we have in schools has led to over-testing, and efforts to privatize education through charter schools and vouchers. These so called “cures” only distract us from the real issues facing society, not schools, but income inequity and segregation.
FQ: Can you discuss the largest “pro” you believe has been placed in the educational system?
WALSH: It is very difficult to find pros in the current state of affairs, but I believe the one pro I see happening now is that parents are waking up to the bill of goods they are being sold by education reformers and are responding by opting out of standardized tests and questioning the motivations of reformers.
FQ: The internet is certainly the “tool” that is utilized for almost everything in this day and age. Do you believe that it is a good thing for students to study without going to the classroom? Does this cause ill effects when we speak about the social/emotional impact of young minds?
WALSH: The computer and the internet are excellent tools for the teacher and the learner and they have a role to play in all children’s education. I prefer that this tool be put in proper perspective, however. No single tool can replace the importance of students meeting with live teachers and other students as a regular part of their learning. Learning is socially constructed. Students need to learn on the internet and in the classroom. Research would indicate that all-online schools are not doing a good job of educating children.
FQ: Is there one thing that has fallen by the wayside already that, if you could, you would bring back to the educational system? Something that children truly need that has been impacted or deleted altogether?
WALSH: I would site two things: recess and read aloud. Children need daily recess to be fully functioning learners. Too many elementary schools have abandoned recess in search for higher test scores. The teachers I talk with also tell me that their administrators are discouraging daily read alouds in the classroom. Read aloud activity is vital to the literacy growth of all children and should happen daily in all classrooms.
FQ: July 9-16, the ILA (International Literacy Association) will be having their conference in Boston. I know you have a background with the organization. Can you tell us a little bit about the goal for the future in regards to getting the U.S. back on track and bringing up the literacy figures for this country?
WALSH: ILA has recently come out with a set of Frameworks for Literacy Education Reform to guide teachers and curriculum writers in developing literacy programs in the age of higher standards and standardized testing. These frameworks could be a first good step in making sure that literacy education does not fall prey to the whims of education reform zealots and politicians. In fact, the introduction says, “Effective approaches to classroom literacy instruction are always grounded in rigorous, peer-reviewed research. Not politics, not ideology, not speculation.”
FQ: (As the daughter of a librarian, I must ask this question). Reading has always been essential. What are your thoughts in regards to reading in this country and how children/teens can be helped to perhaps drop the video game controllers and get back to the book?
WALSH: When I was a child it was the television that was going to destroy reading, when my mother was a child, it was the radio, now we worry about video games, but reading continues to thrive. I suspect that reading fills some needs for children and adults that no other media can actually ever replace. That said, I think we need to be wary today because budget cuts always seem to impact libraries and librarians first. If adults do not value reading and value libraries and librarians, children will not value them. A good librarian is a literacy hero and as necessary to the school and the community as the local doctor and fire department.
FQ: In 2013, there was a debate regarding cursive handwriting being taken out of public schools. In 2015, there was a small light when it was stated that some schools would be bringing it back in to the curriculum. What are your thoughts in regards to this particular discussion?
WALSH: Like the computer and printing, cursive handwriting is a tool for the writer. I think that writers should have all the tools they can at their disposal. Therefore, I think that cursive should be taught because many students find it easier and more fluent to write in cursive. I would not want to go back to the days when I was in school spending laborious hours drawing circles to practice penmanship, however. Kids should be taught cursive in grade 3, be required to use it in grades 4 and 5 and then be granted the choice of what works best for them as a writer moving forward. Also in 5th grade we should begin teaching kids keyboarding skills. They are more likely to do most of the writing on a computer in the future, just as I do now.
FQ: If you had to give one piece of advice to a parent when it comes to the best thing to do for a child’s education, what would that be?
WALSH: The first thing I would tell a parent is that a child’s greatest ally in learning to read and write is oral language, so from a very early age children need to be talked to, included in discussions and asked for their opinions. Language develops best when children are welcomed as full participating members in family talk. The second thing I would tell parents is to make sure that children are surrounded with reading and writing material and that they have a chance to be read and write every day from the time they are born until the time they leave for college.
FQ: On the writing side of things, are you currently working on another project? If so, can you tell readers a bit about it?
WALSH: Thank you for asking. My new writing project is a book for teachers tentatively titled, The Literate Teacher: The Teacher as Literacy Practitioner, Model and Instructor. The premise of the book is that great literacy teachers are also committed to their own reading and writing and professional growth as reading and writing teachers. The book will provide advice on how to make this happen and will be filled with reading recommendations for the professional educator.
To learn more about A Parent’s Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century: Navigating Education Reform to Get the Best Education for My Child please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Interview with Author Steve Snyder @ShotDownB17
Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Diane Lunsford is talking with Steve Snyder, author of Shot Down: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth
FQ: You began this quest shortly after your retirement. What defining moment (or moments) solidified your desire to ‘go for it’?
SNYDER: After I retired in 2009, I had the time to delve into my father’s war history in greater depth, but at the time I had no intention of writing a book. During my research, I read book after book about the air war in Europe, and I joined numerous WW II organizations. I started going to their reunions and listened to WW II veterans tell their stories. It wasn’t until September, 2012 at a reunion of the 306th Bomb Group Historical Association (of which I am now president) held in Savannah, Georgia that I finally decided to write a book. After all I that I had learned during the previous 3 years, I came to the conclusion that the story of my father and his crew was so unique and so compelling that it had to be told and people needed to read about it.
FQ: How difficult was it to return to Belgium for the 70th Anniversary Celebrations and the launch of Shot Down without having your father by your side?
SNYDER: Not really. After visiting Belgium in 1994 with my parents for the 50th Anniversary, my wife and I returned by ourselves in 2004 for the 60th. In 2014 for the 70th Anniversary, our three sons, daughter-in-law, my sister Nancy, and her daughter all went together. Although my sister had been with us in 1994, it was all new for the grandkids, and it was a very special trip for them. They all read my book before going and then personally experienced the story while there. It was an absolutely wonderful and never to be forgotten trip.
FQ: In your dedication, you reference “...the men and women who sacrificed in the fight for freedom. I believe without a doubt that they truly are The Greatest Generation.” Expand on this, please.
SNYDER: The war followed on the heels of the Great Depression which was so far worse than any downturn ever experienced since that time. The fate of the world rested on the outcome of the war, which in the beginning, was very much in doubt. In the 1940’s, about half the population lived in rural areas compared to only about 10% today. Life was very provincial. Many of the men, or really boys, had never even been out of their small country towns and all of a sudden they found themselves half way around the world fighting against the powerful war machines of Germany and Japan. People “back home” had to sacrifice everything towards the war effort. The entire country was united like never before and probably will never be again. When the war was over, the men who fought it did not consider themselves anything special. They looked at it as a job they had to do, and they did it. When they came home, they wanted to put it behind them and forget about it. They focused on starting careers and families. No other event in history affected more people than World War II. It changed the course of America and the world forever.
FQ: You devote a chapter to the Americans arriving in England almost overnight and they outnumbered native Brits (as they were ‘…away serving in the war...’) With their initial arrival, what kind of an adjustment did your dad have to go through? Culturally? Adaptations?
SNYDER: In his letters to my mother while he was stationed in England, my father wrote a lot about the Brits and about the country. To the American servicemen it was a strange place. To begin with, they spoke a strange kind of English, but the British people were very friendly and welcomed the young U.S. boys who were there to help them fight against Hilter. London was a city of wonders to them. It was so historical and multi-cultural. There were so many sites to see, and the city was filled with nightlife and entertainment; including many available women. Being much better paid than British soldiers, the U.S. servicemen had plenty of money to spend and have fun.
FQ: Were there emotional scars from the war that you feel your dad could never overcome? Respectfully, can you share an incident?
SNYDER: I’m really not aware of any. If he did, he didn’t speak about it. My father was very proud of his military service, as all WW II veterans are. After all, it was the defining event of their lives.
FQ: Why is it that both officers and non-commissioned officers who were flying personnel were given better treatment? Did the Germans truly believe ‘better treatment’ would mean more intel sharing?
SNYDER: The Germans had separate prison of war camps (stalags) for downed airmen that were run by the German air force (Luftwaffe). The German airmen had respect and admiration for their counterparts of other countries. I’m not really sure why.
FQ: Your father’s bravery in joining the Resistance was a fascinating chapter to read. Was his motivation in doing so a means to surviving and seeing his family again someday? Did he ever share his inner thoughts toward what compelled him to take that course during his capture?
SNYDER: No, he did not. When downed airmen evaded capture, the Underground tried to get then back to England through various escape routes but something always went wrong trying to get my father out. One can only imagine the over-whelming stress of being hidden. He was in a foreign country. Initially he couldn’t speak the language. He had no idea what happened to his crew buddies. He didn’t know what was happening in the war. He couldn’t communicate with loved ones back home. Any moment, the Gestapo (German secret police) could break in the house he was staying at and arrest him; sending him to a prison camp or even executing him. My guess is that he got tired of hiding and decided to be the hunter rather than the hunted. Rather than just sitting around, he wanted to get back in the fight and do something to help battle the Germans.
FQ: I saw a documentary a while back that portrayed the SS as the most inhumane and sadistic facet of the Nazi Regime. Those who were tried portrayed this laisse faire attitude of “we did what we needed to do.” In your opinion, were they all sociopaths (or was that the necessity of demeanor if they were going to serve in Hitler’s war)?
SNYDER: This is a controversial subject. It is true that the SS were responsible for committing most all of the war crimes. I believe most members of the SS probably began as extremely patriotic Germans who over time became brainwashed through propaganda. However, I’m sure there were all types of deviants who gladly joined and welcomed the opportunity to freely commit violent and horrid acts. It should be pointed out that there were actually two entities that made up the German military forces. One was the Waffen SS which was the armed branch or armed forces of the SS. The other was the Wehrmacht or formal German military forces. These two were often at odds with each other.
FQ: Were there periods in your writing process that you were faced with matters too difficult to write about? If so, how did you get back on track and continue forward?
SNYDER: No, there really were not. I was just so fascinated with the story and the history and totally immersed in it. War is brutal, people die, and atrocities occur. Even though is was personal as it involved my father and his crew, I knew years before I ever started writing that these things had happened. I was just finally putting all the details down in a manuscript. Events that I wrote about were tragic and sometimes made me pause to think about the horror and grief, but they were never too overwhelming to knock me off track.
FQ: You devote a chapter to the Americans arriving in England almost overnight and they outnumbered native Brits (as they were ‘...away serving in the war...’) With their initial arrival, which adaptation do you think was more difficult for your dad to adjust to? Culture? Missing common comforts from ‘home’?
SNYDER: Without a doubt, the hardest thing my father dealt with was missing his wife, Ruth, and baby girl, Susan. Although married a little over 2 years when he left for England, he and Ruth were apart while he was in training in the Army at Ft. Lewis, Washington and while he was going through pilot training at several different air bases. Howard and Ruth were married in July, 1941 and Susan was born in September, 1942. However, they were only together as a family for a couple months in the summer of 1943 during his transitional training and operational crew training in Texas before he was assigned overseas. As a result, he missed then terribly.
FQ: After the end of war and beginning of war crime hearings, as you studied this period, what is your reaction to some of the outcomes? Are you able to share a specific trial and how its outcome affected you?
SNYDER: It is very sad that the war crimes committed against members of my father's crew and other downed airmen basically went unpunished. Only one person was captured, brought to trail, and executed. When the war ended, everything was in total chaos. Western Europe had been devastated and left in ruins. Millions of people were displaced and homeless. Members of the German military, the Nazi party, and collaborators in occupied countries were running for their lives and trying to hid and/or escape from Europe. For the most part, well known and high ranking members of the German military and Nazi party were able to be tracked down but that was not the case with many lesser known people. It was difficult to obtain evidence, apprehend perpetrators, and prove accusations. As Colonel David Marcus, Chief of the U.S. Army War Crimes Branch stated in a letter, "...the apprehension of criminals is one of the more difficult problems which is encountered in connection with the prosecution of War Crimes cases."
FQ: It was an absolute pleasure to read your memoir. I have great respect for historical writers and commend you on a superb read. Are you working on your next project? If so, would you like to share?
SNYDER: Thank you so very much. I greatly appreciate it. I do not have another book in the works. All my efforts continue to be focused on making Shot Down a nationally well-known book. I am filming in Belgium and Germany so a documentary might be in the works.
To learn more about Shot Down: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
FQ: You began this quest shortly after your retirement. What defining moment (or moments) solidified your desire to ‘go for it’?
SNYDER: After I retired in 2009, I had the time to delve into my father’s war history in greater depth, but at the time I had no intention of writing a book. During my research, I read book after book about the air war in Europe, and I joined numerous WW II organizations. I started going to their reunions and listened to WW II veterans tell their stories. It wasn’t until September, 2012 at a reunion of the 306th Bomb Group Historical Association (of which I am now president) held in Savannah, Georgia that I finally decided to write a book. After all I that I had learned during the previous 3 years, I came to the conclusion that the story of my father and his crew was so unique and so compelling that it had to be told and people needed to read about it.
 |
| Author Steve Snyder |
SNYDER: Not really. After visiting Belgium in 1994 with my parents for the 50th Anniversary, my wife and I returned by ourselves in 2004 for the 60th. In 2014 for the 70th Anniversary, our three sons, daughter-in-law, my sister Nancy, and her daughter all went together. Although my sister had been with us in 1994, it was all new for the grandkids, and it was a very special trip for them. They all read my book before going and then personally experienced the story while there. It was an absolutely wonderful and never to be forgotten trip.
FQ: In your dedication, you reference “...the men and women who sacrificed in the fight for freedom. I believe without a doubt that they truly are The Greatest Generation.” Expand on this, please.
SNYDER: The war followed on the heels of the Great Depression which was so far worse than any downturn ever experienced since that time. The fate of the world rested on the outcome of the war, which in the beginning, was very much in doubt. In the 1940’s, about half the population lived in rural areas compared to only about 10% today. Life was very provincial. Many of the men, or really boys, had never even been out of their small country towns and all of a sudden they found themselves half way around the world fighting against the powerful war machines of Germany and Japan. People “back home” had to sacrifice everything towards the war effort. The entire country was united like never before and probably will never be again. When the war was over, the men who fought it did not consider themselves anything special. They looked at it as a job they had to do, and they did it. When they came home, they wanted to put it behind them and forget about it. They focused on starting careers and families. No other event in history affected more people than World War II. It changed the course of America and the world forever.
FQ: You devote a chapter to the Americans arriving in England almost overnight and they outnumbered native Brits (as they were ‘…away serving in the war...’) With their initial arrival, what kind of an adjustment did your dad have to go through? Culturally? Adaptations?
SNYDER: In his letters to my mother while he was stationed in England, my father wrote a lot about the Brits and about the country. To the American servicemen it was a strange place. To begin with, they spoke a strange kind of English, but the British people were very friendly and welcomed the young U.S. boys who were there to help them fight against Hilter. London was a city of wonders to them. It was so historical and multi-cultural. There were so many sites to see, and the city was filled with nightlife and entertainment; including many available women. Being much better paid than British soldiers, the U.S. servicemen had plenty of money to spend and have fun.
 |
| Pilot (and father of author Steve Snyder) Howard Snyder |
FQ: Were there emotional scars from the war that you feel your dad could never overcome? Respectfully, can you share an incident?
SNYDER: I’m really not aware of any. If he did, he didn’t speak about it. My father was very proud of his military service, as all WW II veterans are. After all, it was the defining event of their lives.
FQ: Why is it that both officers and non-commissioned officers who were flying personnel were given better treatment? Did the Germans truly believe ‘better treatment’ would mean more intel sharing?
SNYDER: The Germans had separate prison of war camps (stalags) for downed airmen that were run by the German air force (Luftwaffe). The German airmen had respect and admiration for their counterparts of other countries. I’m not really sure why.
 |
| Howard and Steve Snyder at WW II Memorial in Washington, DC in 2004 |
FQ: Your father’s bravery in joining the Resistance was a fascinating chapter to read. Was his motivation in doing so a means to surviving and seeing his family again someday? Did he ever share his inner thoughts toward what compelled him to take that course during his capture?
SNYDER: No, he did not. When downed airmen evaded capture, the Underground tried to get then back to England through various escape routes but something always went wrong trying to get my father out. One can only imagine the over-whelming stress of being hidden. He was in a foreign country. Initially he couldn’t speak the language. He had no idea what happened to his crew buddies. He didn’t know what was happening in the war. He couldn’t communicate with loved ones back home. Any moment, the Gestapo (German secret police) could break in the house he was staying at and arrest him; sending him to a prison camp or even executing him. My guess is that he got tired of hiding and decided to be the hunter rather than the hunted. Rather than just sitting around, he wanted to get back in the fight and do something to help battle the Germans.
FQ: I saw a documentary a while back that portrayed the SS as the most inhumane and sadistic facet of the Nazi Regime. Those who were tried portrayed this laisse faire attitude of “we did what we needed to do.” In your opinion, were they all sociopaths (or was that the necessity of demeanor if they were going to serve in Hitler’s war)?
SNYDER: This is a controversial subject. It is true that the SS were responsible for committing most all of the war crimes. I believe most members of the SS probably began as extremely patriotic Germans who over time became brainwashed through propaganda. However, I’m sure there were all types of deviants who gladly joined and welcomed the opportunity to freely commit violent and horrid acts. It should be pointed out that there were actually two entities that made up the German military forces. One was the Waffen SS which was the armed branch or armed forces of the SS. The other was the Wehrmacht or formal German military forces. These two were often at odds with each other.
FQ: Were there periods in your writing process that you were faced with matters too difficult to write about? If so, how did you get back on track and continue forward?
SNYDER: No, there really were not. I was just so fascinated with the story and the history and totally immersed in it. War is brutal, people die, and atrocities occur. Even though is was personal as it involved my father and his crew, I knew years before I ever started writing that these things had happened. I was just finally putting all the details down in a manuscript. Events that I wrote about were tragic and sometimes made me pause to think about the horror and grief, but they were never too overwhelming to knock me off track.
 |
| B-17 Susan Ruth Crew Memorial at Macquenoise, Belgium |
SNYDER: Without a doubt, the hardest thing my father dealt with was missing his wife, Ruth, and baby girl, Susan. Although married a little over 2 years when he left for England, he and Ruth were apart while he was in training in the Army at Ft. Lewis, Washington and while he was going through pilot training at several different air bases. Howard and Ruth were married in July, 1941 and Susan was born in September, 1942. However, they were only together as a family for a couple months in the summer of 1943 during his transitional training and operational crew training in Texas before he was assigned overseas. As a result, he missed then terribly.
FQ: After the end of war and beginning of war crime hearings, as you studied this period, what is your reaction to some of the outcomes? Are you able to share a specific trial and how its outcome affected you?
SNYDER: It is very sad that the war crimes committed against members of my father's crew and other downed airmen basically went unpunished. Only one person was captured, brought to trail, and executed. When the war ended, everything was in total chaos. Western Europe had been devastated and left in ruins. Millions of people were displaced and homeless. Members of the German military, the Nazi party, and collaborators in occupied countries were running for their lives and trying to hid and/or escape from Europe. For the most part, well known and high ranking members of the German military and Nazi party were able to be tracked down but that was not the case with many lesser known people. It was difficult to obtain evidence, apprehend perpetrators, and prove accusations. As Colonel David Marcus, Chief of the U.S. Army War Crimes Branch stated in a letter, "...the apprehension of criminals is one of the more difficult problems which is encountered in connection with the prosecution of War Crimes cases."
FQ: It was an absolute pleasure to read your memoir. I have great respect for historical writers and commend you on a superb read. Are you working on your next project? If so, would you like to share?
SNYDER: Thank you so very much. I greatly appreciate it. I do not have another book in the works. All my efforts continue to be focused on making Shot Down a nationally well-known book. I am filming in Belgium and Germany so a documentary might be in the works.
To learn more about Shot Down: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Book Review - A Parent's Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century @ruswalsh
A Parent’s Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century: Navigating Education Reform to Get the Best Education for My Child
By: Russ Walsh
Publisher: Garn Press
Publication Date: March 2016
ISBN: 978-1-942146-33-9
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Garn Press
Publication Date: March 2016
ISBN: 978-1-942146-33-9
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: May 3, 2016
Public education, as we’ve all played witness to, is slowly being buried. In fact, the “issues” that are appearing each day on news headlines and the internet make parents’ skin crawl. Obliterating the spelling program? Taking out handwriting in schools? Tossing public teachers aside to turn more towards “technological” education? It used to be simple: Go to school, learn, make memories and achieve your goals. Now, in 2016, that simple theory can no longer be counted on as being true.
What Author Russ Walsh offers up is a well-laid out book featuring chapters that focus on subjects parents must know in order to discover what’s best for their child. A chapter on education reform begins the guide, addressing everything from the history of education reform to describing the impact that it has on you and your child. Walsh also offers up the best resources in regards to where parents can find even more data, depending on their question.
Chapters cover the realm of charter schools, what they are, how they meet students’ needs, etc.; as well as the pros and cons of homeschooling. Clear answers are given regarding the debate of standardized tests, as well as how to find and choose the best, highest quality teachers for the classroom. But Walsh goes one step further, not only addressing the technical side of things, but also addressing the social and emotional needs of the child.
Our grandparents told us tales of going to school (walking, mostly...can you believe it?) without cell phones in their pockets, without worrying about bullies in the hallways or that the local public school would end up on the evening news because of a shoot-out in the hallways. The anxiety is bad enough in 2016 for the parent; safety is a huge dilemma. So learning everything that can be learned to help navigate the waters of 21st century education, to give your child the best shot at a fantastic future, is a must! With this book, a parent can do just that.
Quill says: Extremely well-written, extremely organized and understandable, A Parent’s Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century is essential for every parent.
Friday, April 29, 2016
#BookReview - The Book of Joe #VincentPrice
The Book of Joe: About a Dog and His Man
By: Vincent Price
Illustrated by: Leo Hershfield
Publisher: Open Road Media
Publication Date: April 2016
ISBN: 978-1504030403
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 29, 2016
Illustrated by: Leo Hershfield
Publisher: Open Road Media
Publication Date: April 2016
ISBN: 978-1504030403
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 29, 2016
Originally published in 1961, The Book of Joe has just been brought back to life, thanks to the efforts of Price's daughter Victoria. The memoir recounts the good, and bad (as well as sometimes comical) times man and dog enjoyed together. Price had had dogs prior to Joe entering his life, but after losing two dogs (one to an accident, the other to divorce) at the same time, while also enduring his first Christmas without his wife (they were getting divorced) and his son, Price was at a particularly lonely point in his life. Off the actor went to a pet store to find a new friend. At the store, one puppy, who held back his enthusiasm for the people gawking at him, caught Price’s eye. The mutt, a mix of...who knows...quickly weaseled his way into Price’s heart.
Through the pages of this memoir, the author tells numerous stories of Joe, from the funny (Joe’s brief friendship with Josephine the cat) to the sweet (Joe caring for his master when he was temporarily blinded in one eye) to the downright unusual (Joe’s day in court). There are numerous recollections that give the reader a peek into the life of Vincent Price and his family – his wife’s desire to breed a line of white poodles come to mind – that are quite enjoyable to read. In addition to recollections of Joe, Price tells of other animals that joined the household through the years, as well as devoting a chapter to various animals he had worked with during his movie career. From a goat to a camel, these little stories are quite fun to read.
The relatively short book (104 pages), is a quick read that dog lovers are sure to enjoy. Mr. Price shows his mastery of the English language with his vibrant command of the written word with sentences such as “I am the innocent battleground on which this war is waged, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see poppies sprout out over the acreage of my body…” (pg. 46) While reading this book, it’s important to remember that it was written in 1961, when things were different – Joe was allowed to run free and would do so sometimes for days at a time, and although a mutt, was never neutered and sired several litters of puppies through the years. Such things may make the contemporary reader cringe, but again, the book was written about things that happened in the 40's and 50's when animal welfare carried little weight. Other than this minor quibble, The Life of Joe was a very enjoyable read.
Quill says: A fun look into the life of Mr. Vincent Price and his beloved dog Joe.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Interview with Author Ruth Finnegan
Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Anita Lock is talking with Ruth Finnegan, author of Black Inked Pearl: A Girl's Quest
FQ: Much of your work is scholarly in nature, focusing on communication, oral traditions in storytelling, and the art of the spoken word in combination with music. What would you say earmarks that "Ah ha!" moment in your life when you knew without a shadow of a doubt that you would write an epic romance story?
FINNEGAN: Not really - it just arrived without my deliberate planning or even, in a sort-of way, awareness of what I was doing. I suppose the first ‘aha’ was when it was liked enough to be accepted for publication (wow), was published, and then, especially, when it started to get reviews pointing out dimensions I had never thought of, almost as if it was a classic: ‘aha’ so I seem to have penned a novel, amazing!’ Looking at it I can now see more continuity with my scholarly work than I’d have thought -(pointed out by some reviewers).
FQ: You incorporate scenes that are reminiscent of your Donegal schooling in Ireland. Are Kate's experiences a true reflection of your Irish education? What are the similarities and differences between you and Kate in this instance?
FINNEGAN: The account of the little Donegal school in chapter 2 is an exact description, down to the ink wells, cold stove, walk there, bull, and, aged 7, crying when I found I'd forgotten to minus 13 (though in my case, thankfully, I stayed good at math). The same is true of the chapter about Oxford, all drawn from my memories, apart from the last scene - though that might have been true too (except that it was ‘Measure for Measure,’ that bleak play, not ‘Othello’ - the latter just seemed more appropriate for the story of Kate’s rejection then impulsive quest).
Kate’s convent experience in chapter 3 is different from mine. Mine was an excellent if quirky Quaker school (The Mount) where all the teachers, more, or less, competent, were kind, though there was one blinkered headmistress (rather like the reverend Mother H.E.N. in the book - actually I think she was probably the model for that). But what I learned there about literature and quotation and up to a point life was very similar: I can never be grateful enough.
FQ: Again, Kate travels to the Congo, which also seems to reflect your experience in Africa. What are the similarities and differences between you and Kate in this instance?
FINNEGAN: I’ve never been or could be a business woman like Kate nor have I visited the Congo, except for one transit overnight (the view of the river from the air was absolutely stupendous and much impressed me which is why, apart from its soft-of cosmic associations, it occurred to me to use it here). I know what a kind of cataclysmic epiphany can feel like, as with Kate, although for me, believe it or not, it was in a dentist’s waiting room in England. The stories however are authentic African, translated and slightly adapted by me, recorded when I was doing anthropological fieldwork in Sierra Leone, and casting their oral influence all through the book.
FQ: It has been said by many authors that writers can easily find themselves totally absorbed in their plot and especially their characters. Did you find that experience to be true in the creation of Kate?
FINNEGAN: Yes, absolutely. But apart from the couple of directly autobiographical chapters (Donegal and Oxford) I didn’t realise until well after I had finished the novel that Kate was myself. (And I now see that that’s why in the ‘Epilogue,’ though I express my hope, I have left the ending open for it will not, cannot, be known until my life is at an end).
FQ: You include poetic portions from different schools of literature—both sacred and secular—in Black Inked Pearl.. Is there one poet who stands out as having a profound influence in your literary background?
FINNEGAN: Yes Homer. The first real book I read (not having learned to read till I was seven - my mother thought learning about other things more important than having your head in a book - she was right) was Homer’s Odyssey, soon followed by the Iliad and crying over Prima’s visit to Achilles to beg for his son’s body, amazingly touching, still moves me to tears. They were both in the old-fashioned biblical-language translations fashionable in the nineteenth century and that affected me too.
I think Homer's similes (which I’ve reproduced and copied so freely in my novel) are, so apparently simple, among the most wonderful things in literature - indeed ‘the world in a grain of sand’ (I love Blake too).
FQ: Black Inked Pearl is written in such a way that it is open for reader interpretation. While that interpretation can vary widely, what is one thing that you would hope your audience would take away after reading your epic story?
FINNEGAN: Oh I suppose - to love the world and everything in it (not least those who search after impossible but not so impossible dreams (think of Coelho’s Alchemist), those who experience dementia, those who struggle between dream and reality - and above all yourself, the hardest.
FQ: Do you foresee more projects of epic literary proportion in the near future?
FINNEGAN: Hm, there is one trying to fight its way through this very day and before, but I am trying to close my mind to the dreams - I know they will still be there when I look. I need to finish off a bunch of academic books first. Won’t say any more at this stage but I guess I’ll be back.
FQ: Have you ever considered the possibility of writing a story for youth?
FINNEGAN: Oddly enough a taxi driver (a local church leader, originally from Ghanq) having heard the plot of the Black Inked Pearl as he drove me to the airport on the way to my yearly visit to my daughter in New Zealand - the land, to me always liminal where my novel started to come to me - suggested this. It had never occurred to me. He said ‘children should know there is a heaven and a hell!' So I am thinking about this - a version not of something new but of a Black Inked Pearl suitable for 12 year olds.
Am also planning to do an audio version in nearish future which, though unchanged in wording might be more accessible for modern youth than the written version. Perhaps too a film, which would have the same effect.
I have also been enjoying constructing some retold fairy tales for early readers (the first to be called something like The Frog Adventure - an upside-down version of the frog prince story) and have found a most wonderful illustrator to help. Watch this space!
To learn more about Black Inked Pearl: A Girl's Quest please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
FQ: Much of your work is scholarly in nature, focusing on communication, oral traditions in storytelling, and the art of the spoken word in combination with music. What would you say earmarks that "Ah ha!" moment in your life when you knew without a shadow of a doubt that you would write an epic romance story?
FINNEGAN: Not really - it just arrived without my deliberate planning or even, in a sort-of way, awareness of what I was doing. I suppose the first ‘aha’ was when it was liked enough to be accepted for publication (wow), was published, and then, especially, when it started to get reviews pointing out dimensions I had never thought of, almost as if it was a classic: ‘aha’ so I seem to have penned a novel, amazing!’ Looking at it I can now see more continuity with my scholarly work than I’d have thought -(pointed out by some reviewers).
FQ: You incorporate scenes that are reminiscent of your Donegal schooling in Ireland. Are Kate's experiences a true reflection of your Irish education? What are the similarities and differences between you and Kate in this instance?
FINNEGAN: The account of the little Donegal school in chapter 2 is an exact description, down to the ink wells, cold stove, walk there, bull, and, aged 7, crying when I found I'd forgotten to minus 13 (though in my case, thankfully, I stayed good at math). The same is true of the chapter about Oxford, all drawn from my memories, apart from the last scene - though that might have been true too (except that it was ‘Measure for Measure,’ that bleak play, not ‘Othello’ - the latter just seemed more appropriate for the story of Kate’s rejection then impulsive quest).
Kate’s convent experience in chapter 3 is different from mine. Mine was an excellent if quirky Quaker school (The Mount) where all the teachers, more, or less, competent, were kind, though there was one blinkered headmistress (rather like the reverend Mother H.E.N. in the book - actually I think she was probably the model for that). But what I learned there about literature and quotation and up to a point life was very similar: I can never be grateful enough.
 |
| The author in 'academic mode' |
FQ: Again, Kate travels to the Congo, which also seems to reflect your experience in Africa. What are the similarities and differences between you and Kate in this instance?
FINNEGAN: I’ve never been or could be a business woman like Kate nor have I visited the Congo, except for one transit overnight (the view of the river from the air was absolutely stupendous and much impressed me which is why, apart from its soft-of cosmic associations, it occurred to me to use it here). I know what a kind of cataclysmic epiphany can feel like, as with Kate, although for me, believe it or not, it was in a dentist’s waiting room in England. The stories however are authentic African, translated and slightly adapted by me, recorded when I was doing anthropological fieldwork in Sierra Leone, and casting their oral influence all through the book.
FQ: It has been said by many authors that writers can easily find themselves totally absorbed in their plot and especially their characters. Did you find that experience to be true in the creation of Kate?
FINNEGAN: Yes, absolutely. But apart from the couple of directly autobiographical chapters (Donegal and Oxford) I didn’t realise until well after I had finished the novel that Kate was myself. (And I now see that that’s why in the ‘Epilogue,’ though I express my hope, I have left the ending open for it will not, cannot, be known until my life is at an end).
FQ: You include poetic portions from different schools of literature—both sacred and secular—in Black Inked Pearl.. Is there one poet who stands out as having a profound influence in your literary background?
FINNEGAN: Yes Homer. The first real book I read (not having learned to read till I was seven - my mother thought learning about other things more important than having your head in a book - she was right) was Homer’s Odyssey, soon followed by the Iliad and crying over Prima’s visit to Achilles to beg for his son’s body, amazingly touching, still moves me to tears. They were both in the old-fashioned biblical-language translations fashionable in the nineteenth century and that affected me too.
I think Homer's similes (which I’ve reproduced and copied so freely in my novel) are, so apparently simple, among the most wonderful things in literature - indeed ‘the world in a grain of sand’ (I love Blake too).
 |
| The author at home in her garden with dogs Pippa (in arms) and Douglas feet (photo taken by husband David) |
FQ: Black Inked Pearl is written in such a way that it is open for reader interpretation. While that interpretation can vary widely, what is one thing that you would hope your audience would take away after reading your epic story?
FINNEGAN: Oh I suppose - to love the world and everything in it (not least those who search after impossible but not so impossible dreams (think of Coelho’s Alchemist), those who experience dementia, those who struggle between dream and reality - and above all yourself, the hardest.
FQ: Do you foresee more projects of epic literary proportion in the near future?
FINNEGAN: Hm, there is one trying to fight its way through this very day and before, but I am trying to close my mind to the dreams - I know they will still be there when I look. I need to finish off a bunch of academic books first. Won’t say any more at this stage but I guess I’ll be back.
FQ: Have you ever considered the possibility of writing a story for youth?
FINNEGAN: Oddly enough a taxi driver (a local church leader, originally from Ghanq) having heard the plot of the Black Inked Pearl as he drove me to the airport on the way to my yearly visit to my daughter in New Zealand - the land, to me always liminal where my novel started to come to me - suggested this. It had never occurred to me. He said ‘children should know there is a heaven and a hell!' So I am thinking about this - a version not of something new but of a Black Inked Pearl suitable for 12 year olds.
Am also planning to do an audio version in nearish future which, though unchanged in wording might be more accessible for modern youth than the written version. Perhaps too a film, which would have the same effect.
I have also been enjoying constructing some retold fairy tales for early readers (the first to be called something like The Frog Adventure - an upside-down version of the frog prince story) and have found a most wonderful illustrator to help. Watch this space!
To learn more about Black Inked Pearl: A Girl's Quest please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
#BookReview - Theodore and Hazel and the Bird @theohazelkids
Theodore and Hazel and the Bird
By: Riza Printup and Marcus Printup
Illustrated by: Elyse Whittake-Paek
Publisher: RiMarcable Publications
Publication Date: March 2016
ISBN: 978-0692678718
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 2016
Illustrated by: Elyse Whittake-Paek
Publisher: RiMarcable Publications
Publication Date: March 2016
ISBN: 978-0692678718
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 2016
Theodore is a trumpet player and his friend Hazel loves to create beautiful music on her harp. One lovely day, the two friends decide to head to the local park. The sun is shining and it’s the perfect day to play outside. They take their instruments along, because, gosh, it’s also a perfect day to share their music with others. As Theodore and Hazel are enjoying the park, they come across a bird who looks very sad. Wondering what might be wrong with their new acquaintance, the bird tells them that he has lost his song:
“I think I lost my song,” said the Bird
as his tears began to flow.
“I open up my beak to sing
and I sound like this...hhhhhhhhhhho!”
Theodore and Hazel offer to help the bird find his song so off the three go in search of the bird’s ‘tweet.’
As they wander through the park, the new friends, along with the reader, meet several creatures that call the park home. These animals, as well as a bike and human, make many different sounds. They all seem to have their own songs. But what about the bird? Will he, with the help of Theodore and Hazel, ever find his song?
Theodore and Hazel and the Bird is an enjoyable read for both children and adults. It’s great to see a book for early readers where the characters happily carry their instruments around everywhere they go. It’s clear that the authors, a husband and wife team, one who plays harp and the other trumpet, love their music and want to share it with others. The positive message of finding your inner voice, along with the comical revelation of what the bird sneezes out of his mouth will delight young readers. Add in the colorful illustrations and you have a book that children will ask for at bedtime.
Quill says: A charming story about finding your own special voice – with a happy ending, and a pair of unusual peas. This is a perfect bedtime story that children will want to read again and again.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Interview with Author Michael Pronko @pronkomichael
Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Diane Lunsford is talking with Michael Pronko, author of Motions and Moments: More Essays on Tokyo
FQ: I thoroughly enjoyed Motions and Moments. The work flowed and I found myself often feeling as though I was engaged in endless conversation with you. Given this is your third compilation of essays on the subject of Tokyo, what inspired you to write the first (and continue the series)? Was it more a journey for you to understand its people (or a mission to explain the culture to the world)?
PRONKO: I’m glad you enjoyed it. I wanted readers to hear the conversation between Tokyo and me, but also to join in the conversation, too. I started writing these essays because Tokyo overwhelmed me when I first started living here. I wanted to pick apart my reactions, to not lose them, but also to understand what I was experiencing, which felt very intense. And still does! Then, I got lucky to find a couple of publications, Tokyo Q (which sadly died) and Newsweek Japan that were interested in publishing my thoughts and musings. That kept me writing. A lot of Japanese readers wrote in over the years, and I got invited to be on TV, so that was encouraging that Japanese wanted to hear what I thought. And Tokyo never runs out of topics to write about. So, it’s both to understand myself and to understand Tokyo. Explaining it to the world comes in third maybe, but that’s been interesting, too.
FQ: As a native of the Midwest in America, how difficult was it to assimilate to Tokyo when you first traveled there?
PRONKO: Difficult, I would say, in most ways, the language, ways of doing things, the flow of life, and cultural values are all hard to get your mind around. But in other ways, it’s felt natural, and easy even. I’ve always liked strange experiences, and Tokyo has plenty of those. But Tokyo’s also a very huge, open place that encompasses all kinds of people and attitudes and lifestyles. I could find music, food, books and other sustenance. Italian food one night and Japanese the next is not the hardest assimilation anyone’s ever had.
That said, I’m not sure I’ve assimilated altogether. Friends and colleagues who are Japanese language or culture specialists, or who married a Japanese person probably assimilate better than me. Strangely, as a writer and as a professor, I’m paid to be American in some way, to see and teach from that slightly outside position, though with an understanding of the Japanese side, too. I’m used to things here, comfortable with them, but I still find a lot of them weird. That seems a productive balance.
FQ: In line with Question 2, when you travel back to Tokyo after spending time in the States, do you find you adapt more quickly each time to return—to the pace? Culture? Environment? Is there a specific process you implement to adapt?
PRONKO: Less and less quickly, I think. It’s always confusing to switch cultural situations, but I notice differences more and more. I think the only process I use is to write down observations and reactions as fully as I can. Going both ways is weird, so I jot down what I feel. The times when I switch cultures are the times when I get the most ideas. I like to observe my observations. And maybe more importantly, I’ve developed much more of a sense of humor about the differences, which helps immensely!
FQ: I particularly enjoyed your essays on the quakes. I cannot imagine not only experiencing such a catastrophic occurrence, but how do you cope with the notion the next one can happen at any time?
PRONKO: Total denial is very helpful. It covers the day-to-day of lingering anxiety. Sort of. After the most recent disaster in Kyushu, though, I was reminded again of how possible a big quake in Tokyo really is. And how lucky Tokyo has been so far. I try to calm myself with facts, emergency bags, and a pre-set plan. That kind of constant unconscious awareness is there all the time, so you get used to the idea. Each small quake, and there are a lot of them, really gives me a start. Each time on hits, and the whole building starts bucking and jolting, I get flooded with adrenaline, and then I wait to see if it gets worse, try to stay calm and ride it out. I wanted to get some of that feeling into the essays.
FQ: What life experience or experiences stands out most in your life in Tokyo?
PRONKO: The people here. Tokyo people are so different from me, I feel at times, but exactly the same at other times. People are hard to write about, as they’re so complex, but they’re the ongoing experience that stands out. My students are really intriguing, and the experiences with them are ones I value. My students talk with me a lot and invite me to their weddings or out for drinking parties long after they graduated. I write about jazz, too, so I know a lot of musicians, jazz fans and club owners. They’re different from business people, who are the vast majority of Tokyoites. There are a lot of other things that I love always, like just walking around the city. I went on TV a few times, which was interesting doing this completely different activity, being ordered around by a director, filming in the streets and performing in the studio (with make-up!). Still, people are the best experience.
FQ: How difficult (or easy) was the adjustment to the cuisine? What is your favorite dish?
PRONKO: Very, very easy. I love Japanese food, which is generally healthy, and served with great attention to detail. Eating is deeply integrated into general life here in ways that makes America seem like a culture that scarfs down food out of necessity. I like the whole culture of cuisine here. It’s ritualized, overly so at times, but always respectfully and humanly. Meals with friends stretch out over hours, talking, drinking, ordering after discussing what to order. And there’s lots of quick eats, too, like ramen, which I love, and ton katsu, deep-fried pork cutlets, which I grab on the run between classes. Probably, my favorite is just fish, both raw and grilled, which is just marvelous here, done simply. But there are so many other cuisines here, too, Chinese, Italian, French, Thai, everything, so that makes it easy to adjust by just diversifying.
FQ: I have often thought the Asian culture is quite respectful and adheres to protocol. What is one of the greatest ‘foibles’ you orchestrated during your time abroad? How did you overcome the faux pas?
PRONKO: One thing I used to always do was to wear the toilet slippers out of the toilet. In Japanese homes, the toilet area has different slippers, which you change into and out of each time you go in. No outside shoes in the house, right? I would always forget and just wear the toilet slippers back out around the house. But the toilet is even more outside than the outside, so it’s disgusting, by Japanese standards! The words for “having an affair” and “gardener” sound similar, so one time I spoke to a gardener working in a garden nearby my house, but switching the words, I asked him if he was an “affair” person who could come have an “affair” in my backyard. Seeing I was a foreigner, he took a big breath, and figured it out. Fortunately.
In addition to those kinds of mistakes, other things were tougher. One colleague yelled at me in the hallway, I mean really screamed, about my introducing an essay section to our entrance exam. I was on the committee and just added it, American style! Which was absolutely wrong in Japanese culture, as it was a singular action taken without extensive group discussion. The Japanese way would have been to discuss it in meeting after meeting, listening to everyone’s opinion, checking with other universities to see what they did, sending a formal proposal to the Education Ministry, waiting for the reply, announcing and discussing it at more meetings, and…well that would have taken years and ended up with nothing at all. What I did was “wrong” but it worked.
The number of other similar foibles, faux pas, and foul-ups could fill another volume of essays. Just worrying about trying to find the right way can be a huge pain. Japanese culture is super-strict about polite, passive adherence to accepted ways of doing things. Some of those ways are efficient, smooth and have their own internal logic. But others are inane and even Japanese hate following them! Many Japanese would even feel a certain envy at my not feeling obligated to do things in the correctly, long-accepted, Japanese way. However, on the flip side, I learned to be respectful and patient as the first response to whatever happens or is said. That attitude of take-a-breath and wait-and-see cuts down on most faux pas.
FQ: I have never been to Tokyo, but have friends who have traveled there and relayed a similar observation you touched upon often in your essays: It’s incredibly clean! What DO they do with all the refuse?!
PRONKO: Well, places in the public eye are amazingly clean, but there are dirty, unkempt, abandoned places too, here and there. It’s just this deep-set cultural value to be clean, neat, and tidy. At some places like old temples or funky drinking places, it’s OK to just let things fall into a kind of beautiful disrepair. In the right place, dirt is relaxing. It always seems to me that the cleanliness is so much work. I guess if it is clean already, it’s easier to keep it clean. It’s a kind of ongoing, constantly enacted purification, I suppose, like washing your hands before entering a temple. It’s a way of maintaining consideration about space and people. To have a lot of dirt, trash or disorder in front of your store or your home would be considered rude to customers, neighbors or passers-by. So, you clean it up. That happens on a small scale and on a large scale.
FQ: In line with Question 8, I (think) you mentioned strict adherence to recycling, but I don’t recall if lofty fines are imposed on violators. How serious is the penalty to those who violate the codes?
PRONKO: We have a trash calendar to remind us what days are set for throwing out glass, PET bottles, random plastic, non-burnable, burnable, paper (3 kinds) and dangerous things like batteries. It’s very tightly organized. Basically, I think violation is just not done. When I’ve gotten my trash category wrong outside my house, the trash collectors will peer into my trash bag (special bags purchased from the city), and then tape on a little form note with boxes to check off with my specific error. They just leave that out in front of the house. It’s SO embarrassing to come home from a long day and find that all day long everyone in the neighborhood has been glancing at my trash mistake as they passed by! Shame is the ultimate penalty. But I think, too, people feel connected to public space, and do not want to inconvenience others. So, it’s maybe less actual penalty than social expectation. I once spent the equivalent of a couple hundred dollars to haul off some old heaters, shelves, laundry poles and this and that. You have to pay to play the garbage game. It adds up, but on the other hand, it makes you super-aware of how much each little this and that will cost to dispose of. So, you pay attention to that end cost. Fair enough.
FQ: When in Tokyo, what is the one comfort from home you cannot obtain (and how do you overcome the desire to have it)?
PRONKO: Most creature comforts are now easy to come by in Tokyo. Somehow someplace, you can find almost anything. Tokyo’s very big. Some things, you might have to search out, like a good hamburger. Mexican food is in short supply. There are some fancy places, but not the kind of casual, authentic Mexican food I really used to love. So, I’ve learned to make it myself at home. Bookstores in English are good, but not like the local indie places you’d find in America. But, I have a library at school where I can order what I like. What I really miss is little, casual exchanges, like with a store clerk or wait staff or even someone in my university office. Those kinds of interactions tend to remain extremely formal here, stiff and restrained by American standards. I miss easy, light banter with passing strangers.
FQ: Tokyo seems to be the city of constant motion. Is there ever a time when the streets sleep (other than December)? What is that like?
PRONKO: It is a city of constant motion, of necessity or regularity or just to avoid the exhaustion of stopping, but things do slow down, too. I think the streets are the place for energy and motion, so the slowing down tends to take place more in private spaces. Japanese take a bath at night, so that’s a real still point for most people. An individual and private stillness. There are plenty of calm coffee shops, restaurants, parks and other places, where sitting quietly doing nothing is the norm. But, the main streets tend to stay active. There are plenty of quiet neighborhoods, and those can be very tranquil. In the early morning hours, before the trains start back up, it’s very quiet most places, but still not quite asleep. There’s no daylight savings time in Japan, so the sun comes up early and it’s light by 5 am in summer. It’s quiet then.
FQ: I thank you for your captivating essays. Is there another in the series in the works or are you on to a different project? If so, could you share a bit?
PRONKO: I finished two novels set in Tokyo, noir-like mysteries, so I hope to get one of those out this year. They’ll be my main focus this year. I’m working on more essays, as there is so much more in Tokyo to write about, but it takes time to build up enough for another full collection. I work on those little by little and don’t want to force them. The new ones seem to be focusing on Tokyo people, their lives, passions and what they tell me and do. I’m also working on a book about Japanese jazz, as that is a real passion of mine, with my own website as the starting place, Jazz in Japan. As always, the problem is finding enough time to do them all.
To learn more about Motions and Moments: More Essays on Tokyo please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
FQ: I thoroughly enjoyed Motions and Moments. The work flowed and I found myself often feeling as though I was engaged in endless conversation with you. Given this is your third compilation of essays on the subject of Tokyo, what inspired you to write the first (and continue the series)? Was it more a journey for you to understand its people (or a mission to explain the culture to the world)?
PRONKO: I’m glad you enjoyed it. I wanted readers to hear the conversation between Tokyo and me, but also to join in the conversation, too. I started writing these essays because Tokyo overwhelmed me when I first started living here. I wanted to pick apart my reactions, to not lose them, but also to understand what I was experiencing, which felt very intense. And still does! Then, I got lucky to find a couple of publications, Tokyo Q (which sadly died) and Newsweek Japan that were interested in publishing my thoughts and musings. That kept me writing. A lot of Japanese readers wrote in over the years, and I got invited to be on TV, so that was encouraging that Japanese wanted to hear what I thought. And Tokyo never runs out of topics to write about. So, it’s both to understand myself and to understand Tokyo. Explaining it to the world comes in third maybe, but that’s been interesting, too.
 |
| Author Michael Pronko |
FQ: As a native of the Midwest in America, how difficult was it to assimilate to Tokyo when you first traveled there?
PRONKO: Difficult, I would say, in most ways, the language, ways of doing things, the flow of life, and cultural values are all hard to get your mind around. But in other ways, it’s felt natural, and easy even. I’ve always liked strange experiences, and Tokyo has plenty of those. But Tokyo’s also a very huge, open place that encompasses all kinds of people and attitudes and lifestyles. I could find music, food, books and other sustenance. Italian food one night and Japanese the next is not the hardest assimilation anyone’s ever had.
That said, I’m not sure I’ve assimilated altogether. Friends and colleagues who are Japanese language or culture specialists, or who married a Japanese person probably assimilate better than me. Strangely, as a writer and as a professor, I’m paid to be American in some way, to see and teach from that slightly outside position, though with an understanding of the Japanese side, too. I’m used to things here, comfortable with them, but I still find a lot of them weird. That seems a productive balance.
FQ: In line with Question 2, when you travel back to Tokyo after spending time in the States, do you find you adapt more quickly each time to return—to the pace? Culture? Environment? Is there a specific process you implement to adapt?
PRONKO: Less and less quickly, I think. It’s always confusing to switch cultural situations, but I notice differences more and more. I think the only process I use is to write down observations and reactions as fully as I can. Going both ways is weird, so I jot down what I feel. The times when I switch cultures are the times when I get the most ideas. I like to observe my observations. And maybe more importantly, I’ve developed much more of a sense of humor about the differences, which helps immensely!
FQ: I particularly enjoyed your essays on the quakes. I cannot imagine not only experiencing such a catastrophic occurrence, but how do you cope with the notion the next one can happen at any time?
PRONKO: Total denial is very helpful. It covers the day-to-day of lingering anxiety. Sort of. After the most recent disaster in Kyushu, though, I was reminded again of how possible a big quake in Tokyo really is. And how lucky Tokyo has been so far. I try to calm myself with facts, emergency bags, and a pre-set plan. That kind of constant unconscious awareness is there all the time, so you get used to the idea. Each small quake, and there are a lot of them, really gives me a start. Each time on hits, and the whole building starts bucking and jolting, I get flooded with adrenaline, and then I wait to see if it gets worse, try to stay calm and ride it out. I wanted to get some of that feeling into the essays.
FQ: What life experience or experiences stands out most in your life in Tokyo?
PRONKO: The people here. Tokyo people are so different from me, I feel at times, but exactly the same at other times. People are hard to write about, as they’re so complex, but they’re the ongoing experience that stands out. My students are really intriguing, and the experiences with them are ones I value. My students talk with me a lot and invite me to their weddings or out for drinking parties long after they graduated. I write about jazz, too, so I know a lot of musicians, jazz fans and club owners. They’re different from business people, who are the vast majority of Tokyoites. There are a lot of other things that I love always, like just walking around the city. I went on TV a few times, which was interesting doing this completely different activity, being ordered around by a director, filming in the streets and performing in the studio (with make-up!). Still, people are the best experience.
FQ: How difficult (or easy) was the adjustment to the cuisine? What is your favorite dish?
PRONKO: Very, very easy. I love Japanese food, which is generally healthy, and served with great attention to detail. Eating is deeply integrated into general life here in ways that makes America seem like a culture that scarfs down food out of necessity. I like the whole culture of cuisine here. It’s ritualized, overly so at times, but always respectfully and humanly. Meals with friends stretch out over hours, talking, drinking, ordering after discussing what to order. And there’s lots of quick eats, too, like ramen, which I love, and ton katsu, deep-fried pork cutlets, which I grab on the run between classes. Probably, my favorite is just fish, both raw and grilled, which is just marvelous here, done simply. But there are so many other cuisines here, too, Chinese, Italian, French, Thai, everything, so that makes it easy to adjust by just diversifying.
FQ: I have often thought the Asian culture is quite respectful and adheres to protocol. What is one of the greatest ‘foibles’ you orchestrated during your time abroad? How did you overcome the faux pas?
PRONKO: One thing I used to always do was to wear the toilet slippers out of the toilet. In Japanese homes, the toilet area has different slippers, which you change into and out of each time you go in. No outside shoes in the house, right? I would always forget and just wear the toilet slippers back out around the house. But the toilet is even more outside than the outside, so it’s disgusting, by Japanese standards! The words for “having an affair” and “gardener” sound similar, so one time I spoke to a gardener working in a garden nearby my house, but switching the words, I asked him if he was an “affair” person who could come have an “affair” in my backyard. Seeing I was a foreigner, he took a big breath, and figured it out. Fortunately.
In addition to those kinds of mistakes, other things were tougher. One colleague yelled at me in the hallway, I mean really screamed, about my introducing an essay section to our entrance exam. I was on the committee and just added it, American style! Which was absolutely wrong in Japanese culture, as it was a singular action taken without extensive group discussion. The Japanese way would have been to discuss it in meeting after meeting, listening to everyone’s opinion, checking with other universities to see what they did, sending a formal proposal to the Education Ministry, waiting for the reply, announcing and discussing it at more meetings, and…well that would have taken years and ended up with nothing at all. What I did was “wrong” but it worked.
The number of other similar foibles, faux pas, and foul-ups could fill another volume of essays. Just worrying about trying to find the right way can be a huge pain. Japanese culture is super-strict about polite, passive adherence to accepted ways of doing things. Some of those ways are efficient, smooth and have their own internal logic. But others are inane and even Japanese hate following them! Many Japanese would even feel a certain envy at my not feeling obligated to do things in the correctly, long-accepted, Japanese way. However, on the flip side, I learned to be respectful and patient as the first response to whatever happens or is said. That attitude of take-a-breath and wait-and-see cuts down on most faux pas.
FQ: I have never been to Tokyo, but have friends who have traveled there and relayed a similar observation you touched upon often in your essays: It’s incredibly clean! What DO they do with all the refuse?!
PRONKO: Well, places in the public eye are amazingly clean, but there are dirty, unkempt, abandoned places too, here and there. It’s just this deep-set cultural value to be clean, neat, and tidy. At some places like old temples or funky drinking places, it’s OK to just let things fall into a kind of beautiful disrepair. In the right place, dirt is relaxing. It always seems to me that the cleanliness is so much work. I guess if it is clean already, it’s easier to keep it clean. It’s a kind of ongoing, constantly enacted purification, I suppose, like washing your hands before entering a temple. It’s a way of maintaining consideration about space and people. To have a lot of dirt, trash or disorder in front of your store or your home would be considered rude to customers, neighbors or passers-by. So, you clean it up. That happens on a small scale and on a large scale.
FQ: In line with Question 8, I (think) you mentioned strict adherence to recycling, but I don’t recall if lofty fines are imposed on violators. How serious is the penalty to those who violate the codes?
PRONKO: We have a trash calendar to remind us what days are set for throwing out glass, PET bottles, random plastic, non-burnable, burnable, paper (3 kinds) and dangerous things like batteries. It’s very tightly organized. Basically, I think violation is just not done. When I’ve gotten my trash category wrong outside my house, the trash collectors will peer into my trash bag (special bags purchased from the city), and then tape on a little form note with boxes to check off with my specific error. They just leave that out in front of the house. It’s SO embarrassing to come home from a long day and find that all day long everyone in the neighborhood has been glancing at my trash mistake as they passed by! Shame is the ultimate penalty. But I think, too, people feel connected to public space, and do not want to inconvenience others. So, it’s maybe less actual penalty than social expectation. I once spent the equivalent of a couple hundred dollars to haul off some old heaters, shelves, laundry poles and this and that. You have to pay to play the garbage game. It adds up, but on the other hand, it makes you super-aware of how much each little this and that will cost to dispose of. So, you pay attention to that end cost. Fair enough.
FQ: When in Tokyo, what is the one comfort from home you cannot obtain (and how do you overcome the desire to have it)?
PRONKO: Most creature comforts are now easy to come by in Tokyo. Somehow someplace, you can find almost anything. Tokyo’s very big. Some things, you might have to search out, like a good hamburger. Mexican food is in short supply. There are some fancy places, but not the kind of casual, authentic Mexican food I really used to love. So, I’ve learned to make it myself at home. Bookstores in English are good, but not like the local indie places you’d find in America. But, I have a library at school where I can order what I like. What I really miss is little, casual exchanges, like with a store clerk or wait staff or even someone in my university office. Those kinds of interactions tend to remain extremely formal here, stiff and restrained by American standards. I miss easy, light banter with passing strangers.
FQ: Tokyo seems to be the city of constant motion. Is there ever a time when the streets sleep (other than December)? What is that like?
PRONKO: It is a city of constant motion, of necessity or regularity or just to avoid the exhaustion of stopping, but things do slow down, too. I think the streets are the place for energy and motion, so the slowing down tends to take place more in private spaces. Japanese take a bath at night, so that’s a real still point for most people. An individual and private stillness. There are plenty of calm coffee shops, restaurants, parks and other places, where sitting quietly doing nothing is the norm. But, the main streets tend to stay active. There are plenty of quiet neighborhoods, and those can be very tranquil. In the early morning hours, before the trains start back up, it’s very quiet most places, but still not quite asleep. There’s no daylight savings time in Japan, so the sun comes up early and it’s light by 5 am in summer. It’s quiet then.
FQ: I thank you for your captivating essays. Is there another in the series in the works or are you on to a different project? If so, could you share a bit?
PRONKO: I finished two novels set in Tokyo, noir-like mysteries, so I hope to get one of those out this year. They’ll be my main focus this year. I’m working on more essays, as there is so much more in Tokyo to write about, but it takes time to build up enough for another full collection. I work on those little by little and don’t want to force them. The new ones seem to be focusing on Tokyo people, their lives, passions and what they tell me and do. I’m also working on a book about Japanese jazz, as that is a real passion of mine, with my own website as the starting place, Jazz in Japan. As always, the problem is finding enough time to do them all.
To learn more about Motions and Moments: More Essays on Tokyo please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
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