Of Their Time and Ours

Largely told through techniques of metaphor and symbolism, this work of creative non-fiction, a work of literary narrative, might be more colorfully classified as "Texas Gothic": a boot stompin' trek through a time in Texas where an occasional burr under the saddle was expected, if not overtly a time when life's lessons were often gleaned more through osmosis than the class room text. This insightful book offers the reader a multi-layered story capturing a time in our not so distant history, yet now lost and gone forever. Just as with a triptych or a patchwork quilt, individual chapters can almost stand alone, yet come together to offer a much larger picture, often reflected also in this multitalented author's poetry and illustrations. Summed up in the last chapter, its underlying message states, "It is not so much what we are dealt in life, but how we deal with it." Periodic use of flashback reveals that while superficial trappings of our lives change through succeeding generations, basic principles of caring and emotion remain constant throughout all time. A poignant tale, often funny, sometimes heartbreakingly sad, this story, which on the surface covers over a decade in the life of a young boy in Texas, could just as easily have taken place in California, Colorado, or Connecticut; but the multifaceted message reaches far beyond that. It is suggestive of a maturity that can only be, fully realized by understanding and accepting the child that remains within us all.