hawaiibound

An Extraordinary Story by the Nicest Guy

Revisado: 09-02-23

I wasn't loving this book to start with but i quickly came to find Mr. Templeton to be such a likable guy and "read" his story with great enjoyment. i found myself chuckling every now and then. (He speaks ill of no one).

Obviously we know his cancer journey is going to work out or there would not be a story. This is a great book for all who want to read about beating the odds and walking away from cancer when the odds are stacked against you. Bravo Mr. Templeton!

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A Masterpiece!

Revisado: 07-25-20

With all that was going on in our nation, I wanted to find out the meaning of "Uncle Tom" as a derogatory reference. So I dove into the book that had a profound effect on America at the time it was written and certainly moved the country closer to emancipation.

I was mesmerized by this story. The author held up a mirror to America while simultaneously showing us the heartbeat of slaves in a way that most of America at that time and place, could relate to. She skillfully wove the good, the bad and the ugly tales of humanity at its finest and its ugliest pertaining to slavery.

Nevertheless, I found the first chapter jarring because of the language used and first finding myself transported to that time almost 200 years earlier.

But clearly the book was written to show the humanity of slaves who half of America thought ok to own as property and the other half had not yet rose up in righteous indignation at the very concept despite much of America's unifying belief in God. The slaves were described with terms that we might find offensive today but the author was making a case to see them as the humans that they were and not property. She often described slaves as very simple but we could clearly see how their living conditions made them so. She wanted the readers to do something to end the injustice.

I also noted that some of the phrases she used about the slaves were also used about others. So poor "critters" was not a specific reference to skin color but rather a term used regarding an individual facing hardship.

The stories unfolded with arguments against all the reasons for slavery both thought of and never considered. But the arguments weren't so much made with words of debate but rather they came from the depth of the souls of the tales she told. The narrator of the story brought the people to life. I found myself driving down the road crying in several instances.

Having said all that; I think it would be an honor to be a "Uncle Tom." He was SUCH a noble character shaped and sustained by his abiding faith in God. Others may think that Uncle Tom didn't fight the system and so consider him less for it. I think he may have been the force that ultimately brought slavery down.

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