Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Memoir
Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words
Availability
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Author:
An author,
magazine publisher, and photographer with many years of experience in the
magazine business, Charles McNamara is also the man behind Tributary, “an on line collection of personal stories of unusual
lives; a documentary of our times.”
For more,
visit McNamara’s website.
Description:
“Shining Light is a collection of 22
revealing conversations, including black and white portraits, with people who
share amazing stories about their lives.”
Appraisal:
That’s what human beings do.
Storytelling. We spend our lives talking and telling stories. When we’ve taken
care of shelter and food and reproduction that’s what we do next.
That’s a
quote from the interview in Shining Light
with Mick Bolger, frontman for Colcannon, a Colorado based band who play
traditional Irish music (plus, original compositions inspired by the same). It
struck me as a good explanation of the point of this book. Most biographies and
memoirs tend toward the extraordinary, the celebrity, successful business
person, politician, or sports star. We all have stories that, presented in the
right light, could provide entertainment, life lessons, and inspiration, to
name a few of the potential reasons for reading memoirs.
With this
book, the author has given twenty-two people a chance to tell their story and
us the opportunity to learn from them. None are famous (at least not outside of
a niche or small group, and we’re all famous somewhere, even if just within our
immediate family). The common thread each has, as implied by the subtitle, is
dedication to their particular interest, whether they’re a cowboy poet,
editorial cartoonist, or mountain man re-enactor. One subject could be described
as “just a farmer,” although he’s a farmer dedicated to growing a unique crop.
When I read
something like this one of the things I’m looking for is how this person’s
experience might apply to another area or insights I can use in my own life.
One example of this sort of thing gleaned from Shining Light came from Dr. Bonnie Clarke, an archaeologist who has
been exploring a World War II Japanese Relocation Camp who had this to say
about those camps:
It’s a reminder that when people are
feeling threatened that civil liberties are often the first thing to go. Fear
and racism are a very, very dangerous mix.
A thought
to keep in mind, both to guard against the potential of this reaction in
ourselves, and to help recognize it in others.
Another is
from Cole Thompson, a “fine art photographer,” who had an insight that I
thought was applicable to many areas. Certainly any indie authors will
understand where he was coming from:
We’re trained to think of certain
people as experts and to hang on every word they say. As well intentioned as
these experts are, they are giving advice from their perspective. Their advice
may be good, but it may not be good for my vision and my definition of success.
Overall a
fun, educational, and inspiring read. Well worth the time.
Format/Typo Issues:
A small
number of copy editing and proofing issues.
Rating: **** Four Stars
2 comments:
Thank Al. Very much appreciated
Is there a way to post this review on Smashwords. Permissions?
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