Archive for 'non fiction'

Excerpt: First Meeting with Niece and Brother

Excerpt: First Meeting with Niece and Brother

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In gratitude for the many blessings received, on Thanksgiving (Nov. 27 & 28, 2014) I am offering a free ebook version of Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity.

Here is an excerpt of the first time I met my niece and younger brother… (The Ruth mentioned is my German sister.)

I was back in the world of my experience with an ambivalent willingness to revise it. Surrounded by the objects of my childhood and being with ...

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Early Affinity for American Culture

Early Affinity for American Culture

The American School in Guatemala in the Early 1950’s

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt from my book about entering middle school in Guatemala City, 1952:

The American School was more like an exclusive ...

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Dreams of my Birthmother Rosa

Dreams of my Birthmother Rosa

 

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

The night I finished reading Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John, the wind blowing outside my window ushered messages into my dreams.

I was Annie John, and had ...

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Catana: How Did You Become a #1Bestselling Author on Amazon?

Catana: How Did You Become a #1Bestselling Author on Amazon?

When friends commented that Split at the Root would become a #1 bestseller, I smiled and followed with the Irish saying, “From your lips to God’s ears.” Well, God must have listened, for last week, my little book hit #1 on Amazon’s Bestseller list, and stayed in that position for close to 48 hours. Not only as an ebook, which is cheaper, but #1 also in the more expensive ...

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Learning to Appreciate a Rich Cultural Heritage

Learning to Appreciate a Rich Cultural Heritage

After meeting my birthfather Gil, I begin to love not only him, but also the culture and history of my ancestors.

Here’s an excerpt from Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity.:

In Jamaica, so many years ago, Dr. Dezon was all set to tell me about shiploads of Caribs who were taken from the island of St. Vincent by the English and dumped on the Central American coast. At the time I was not ...

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First Meeting Between Adult Daughter and her Birth Father

First Meeting Between Adult Daughter and her Birth Father

Catana as a toddler in LivingstonI had spoken to my father a few times on the phone. In the following is an excerpt from Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity of my first meeting with him.

What would Gil see when he looked at me, I wondered? Would my lips, as I shaped ...

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“You’re not a Racist, Mom” - Excerpt from Split at the Root

“You’re not a Racist, Mom” – Excerpt from Split at the Root

There are several passages in Split at the Root where the protagonist finds herself at odds with being Black in the US. Here is a brief exchange with her teen-aged son:

While in the Michigan boarding school, Patrick perfected a habit of going for walks. Occasionally he asked me to join him, which I gladly accepted for, although he was friendly, he was also a ...

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Would You Believe That Even Pugs in Europe Have a Waistline?

Would You Believe That Even Pugs in Europe Have a Waistline?

So here I am, nursing my jet-lag and feeling a bit melancholic after my spiritually uplifting visit with my friend Anita. I’m taking time to contemplate and reflect on my visit to Munich and Bonn with her.

What made me feel as if I were on another planet, because I had never before taken note of it, was the behavior of dogs. Any size dogs. From little Asian temple doggies to the humongous Anatolian Mastiff parading along ...

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Misplaced Identity: The Reason to Begin Therapy

Misplaced Identity: The Reason to Begin Therapy

In my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt as to why I had to start a therapy program:

I stand motionless atop a rugged cliff, scanning a landscape where a cloudless sky spans the horizon. The jasmine-scented breeze ...

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How my seven-year old mixed-race son began to define issues of his identity

How my seven-year old mixed-race son began to define issues of his identity

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

On our first vacation we visited friends in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. We not only fell in love with the quaint village, we decided to move there. I’d take up ...

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