Monday, April 4, 2011
Quick update
Monday, February 21, 2011
Advance Praise for "Stories for Oliver"
Wrightson’s goal with this memoir was to provide a look at his life, from childhood to present, so that his grandson, Oliver, would have an understanding of who his grandfather was. It wound up becoming forty humorous, eye-opening, reminiscent, and thoughtful tales, plus ten heartfelt poems. Bravo Charles! Well done! I found Stories for Oliver to be an extremely well-written and riveting book. The stories found within its pages are heartfelt, sincere, and filled with love. I give Stories for Oliver a solid five-stars, and I recommend it to readers of all ages. Charline Ratcliff for Rebecca’s Reads
Stories for Oliver is more than a memoir of Charles William Wrightson. It is a tribute to his ancestors and a glimpse into how this heritage has impacted his character, core values, and philosophy of life. I was deeply impressed with Wrightson’s broad range of interests and his depth of intellect. His topical reflections and intimate family poems add to the substance of his writing, both to his grandchildren and to a much wider audience. His writing is imaginative, animated, informative and entertaining. Richard R. Blake for Reader Views
Lucky is the person who has a special family member as Charles William Wrightson, who could be described as a keeper of memories – one who shares stories of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and friends. To add depth and color to his memoirs, Wrightson manages to mix a collection of events, happenings and relatives with wit, humor and wisdom. Stories for Oliver also serves as an incentive for readers to reflect on their own lives and follow Wrightson’s lead in recording their own personal histories that can be passed on to their offspring. What a wonderful gift! Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com
Monday, February 7, 2011
Stories for Oliver - advance book review
Many of us will probably ask what is the point of dredging up your past, which at times can be laborious and even painful. Furthermore, what do you hope to accomplish? As Wrightson descriptively and perceptibly illustrates, creating your memoirs forces you to take stock of who you are, who you used to be, how you arrived at your present destination, and, also it serves as a reminder of your own mortality. He succinctly sums up his life by asserting: “I reflect with a complex mixture of gratitude, regret, anger and amusement on the path my life actually did take.” It is these adventures that depict all of his feelings and aspects of his life that he is able to pass unto his family, children and grandchildren – a personal legacy, in the hope that they will read, cherish, and perhaps learn something from them while eventually passing them on to their own offspring.
Admittedly, although writing your own memoirs may not be of great significance to anyone else other than your family members and friends (and that is probably why they are not exactly best-sellers, unless you are a celebrity), they nonetheless can prove to be a wonderfully revealing and cathartic experience for the writer, which is probably the case with Wrightson.
Divided into two parts, Wrightson offers bits of his early childhood and goes on to present some of his reflections and philosophical musings concerning such themes as parenting, friendship, his father’s values, and many more providing his readers with a great deal of insight and inspiration. He even tries his hand at poetry and ends with a few thoughtful and beautiful poems.
Regarding these memoirs, readers will no doubt get the feeling that Wrightson has certainly paid attention to everything, including his first business venture , where he learned the principle of demand and supply, his kindergarten experiences, his first major league baseball game he attended, his boating experiences, as well as many other ventures that he has detailed and that we can easily identify with, particularly if we grew up during this same era. And what makes them all the more interesting is that they do satisfy our curiosities.
To add depth and color to his memoirs, Wrightson manages to mix a collection of events, happenings and people in his family with wit, humor and wisdom. Readers meet many of his relatives and friends whom he interacted with over the course of his sixty years and the influences that they had over him. Also thrown in are the many events of the 1960s – an era, where those of us who lived through, can agree that it was certainly interesting times. No doubt, reading Wrightson’s book you get the feeling his writing of his memoirs must have been a labor of love – something he truly enjoyed. It also serves as an incentive for readers to reflect on their own lives and follow Wrightson’s lead in recording their own personal histories that can be passed on to their offspring. What a wonderful gift! Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com