| Reviews |
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“…An epic endeavour…gave me much to consider…and has taken more than one reading to fully appreciate...(the author has) written a love song that may play for a long time… (he has) discovered one of life’s great treasures, one of life’s essentials, that is an awareness of the efforts of others… Thank you for the extraordinary effort.”
- George Jonescu, Broadcaster/Programmer, Radio Host
“…you have an excellent descriptive ability to bring your life experiences, opinions and viewpoints into the reader’s reality… I wish you good fortune with your ‘project’.”
- Major-General Richard Rohmer
“…What an endeavour to examine yourself and your family so very personally. …As a retired social worker and educator, with many years in special education, my attention was grabbed immediately by your experiences in the education system. …I was so touched by the continuously woven thread of your father. …I trust there will be a wide audience for your carefully collected thoughts. Perhaps “The Layman’s Petition” should be required reading in teachers’ colleges and colleges of Education. Good Luck!”
- Kathleen Kilgour, Retired Teacher/Social Worker
“…I don’t know how you did it, but you have taken me right back to my youth. There is a lot in here that I can relate to.”
- Jack Stapleton, Veteran/Merchant Marine Navy
“…As I read the manuscript, I found myself at times identifying with you and your feelings, while at other times I would be off on my own thoughts and recollections of my life. What you have written is so incredibly personal, and because it is so personal, it causes the reader to make it so very personal to him or her… I found that I tended to both understand and agree with much of what you have written. I think that most thoughtful readers will also find a great deal of common ground as they reflect on who they are, how they have got to where they are and what is truly important in life. You have emphasized how important the past is, not just our past as individuals, but also the past of our parents and grandparents. To deny the importance of the past in the shaping of today is a tragic mistake. Further, the past must be made personal to each of us and we take from it what is important to us and not what others tell us is important…”
- Thomas E. Tidey, Retired Teacher, Principal, and Education Officer-Ontario Ministry of Education
“What makes each of us who we are? The challenge to answer that question for oneself can be found in this slim volume that belies the weight of its content. It provides deep insight into the mind and soul of an individual who, like each of us, mirrors his environment and all of its influences. But the writer goes beyond that, he actually questions the effect of those influences. This unique and sensitive portrayal of a developing life should, if the reader looks deeply enough, and thoughtfully considers what is said and implied here, with first the challenge, and then the motivation to consider his own life and perhaps find the answer.”
- Bruce A. Mackison, Retired Teacher
“…You will be urged to go back and look again at the flaws inherent in isolated thinking. To recognize that “the sea-level view is a questionable thing”, that personal perspective acquired by peeping through the keyhole of individual thought, results in prejudiced prejudgment…”
- Ekkehard Irion, Special Education Teacher
“The author has managed to convey a very sensitive and interesting narration of his early youth… I particularly enjoyed his excellent use of English...You do not find writing like this anymore… impeccable!”
- Marianne Mintz, Recalls with pleasure her English Language schooling in the 1930s
“As we enjoy the environs of an area, we are unaware of its affect on our lives. Nor do we realise the changes caused by our presence. This seems to be true in the story of Collingwood by our author.”
(This reviewer refers to an early draft punctuated for a live reading)
- Bessie Himmelfarb, Retired Teacher/Senior Student
(At 93 & 94 years old, this reviewer was attending a Toronto university earning both a B. A. and a Masters Degree in Political Science. Born in 1907, she was the first person sought out by the author to provide specific sentence structure and grammatical advice. Her hard work and enthusiastic contribution resulted in many lasting improvements to the manuscript. Passing away in 2006 at age 99, the author deeply regrets the loss of her thoughts on this final draft.)
“…was very enjoyable reading… I must admit I was moved to tears mainly in the first chapters, recognising my own dad in the description you give of your dad and your relation to him… I strongly believe that this work merits to be published. The sole fact that a pure stranger like me could relate to it and is inclined to pass it on to friends is commendable… I congratulate you in your tenacity and perseverance to bring forth this manuscript. Wishing you the best in making this reflection available to all enquiring minds, young and young at heart.”
- Adeline Thomas, Former Teacher
(This reviewer was located through an organization known at the time as the “Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada”. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was the twentieth century Indian philosopher who collaborated with nuclear physicist David Bohm. David Bohm (1917-1992) was the visionary physicist interviewed in the final episode of the ground breaking CBC television series, “A Planet For The Taking,” with David Suzuki. Albert Einstein considered David Bohm to be his “intellectual son”. In a 1990 correspondence with the author, Professor David Bohm wrote, “Thank you for your excellent letter, which I read with great interest. I feel that you have a very good understanding of what Krishnamurti and I were talking about...I would like to encourage you to keep on with your keen interest in the key question of thought. I feel that you have a very good grasp of what it is all about.”)All preceding reviews relate to unpublished drafts of The Layman's Petition. |