My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Robert W Norris, author of the book The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. Robert W. Norris was born and raised in Humboldt County, California. In 1969, he entered the Air Force, subsequently became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, and served time in a military prison for refusing to fight in the war. In his twenties, he roamed across the United States, went to Europe twice, and made one journey around the world. In 1983, he landed in Japan, where...
My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Robert W Norris, author of the book The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise. Robert W. Norris was born and raised in Humboldt County, California. In 1969, he entered the Air Force, subsequently became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, and served time in a military prison for refusing to fight in the war. In his twenties, he roamed across the United States, went to Europe twice, and made one journey around the world. In 1983, he landed in Japan, where he eventually became a professor at a private university, spent two years as the dean of students, and retired in 2016 as a professor emeritus.
Norris is the author of Looking for the Summer, a novel about a former Vietnam War conscientious objector’s adventures and search for identity in Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and India in 1977; Toraware, a novel about the obsessive relationship of three misfits from different cultural backgrounds in 1980s Kobe, Japan; Autumn Shadows in August, an hallucinogenic mid-life crisis/adventure, and homage to Malcolm Lowry and Hermann Hesse; The Many Roads to Japan, a novella used as an English textbook in Japanese universities; and The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me, a memoir and tribute to his mother. He has also written several articles on teaching English as a foreign language. He and his wife live near Fukuoka, Japan.
In my book review, I stated The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise is a wonderful memoir about Robert's mother, Kay, as well as his own interesting life. This memoir spans 90+ years and gives readers a glimpse into the lives of two people who never quite followed the "rules" as set out by society.
Kay, twice divorced, spoke her mind, even when others thought she should keep quiet - just ask the Catholic priest who refused to give her communion. She raised her children with the same spirit - to know who they were and what they stood for along with a willingness to act. Kay was a lifelong learner, taking on getting a pilot's license, going back to school to become a legal secretary, writing poetry, drawing nature, and studying the Japanese language. She loved to travel and she loved her family.
I really enjoyed reading Robert's account of his own life and how his mother fit into the picture. I appreciated his candor - he didn't seem to have the need to paint himself in the perfect light, which means the reader gets to see his struggles and pains as well as his triumphs. Although Robert and I have very different opinions about life, I admire how he found his truth and then found a way to live that truth.
This is a fascinating memoir about a boy and his mom through the years. I think you'll enjoy it.
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Website: https://robertwnorris.com/
FB: @bob.norris.374
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Paperback: https://amzn.to/3XNTS1L
Ebook: https://amzn.to/4i1hXZZ
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