Reality's Pen: Reflections On Family, History & Culture

Reality’s Pen: Reflections On Family, History & Culture By Thomas D. Rush I was born in the small town of Asheboro, North Carolina during the early 1960’s to humble, ordinary Black folks. My parents did not have much in the way of material things, but what they lacked in physical things they made up for in character, spirit and Black identity. My mother modeled voracious reading, sending me out into the World as a lover of books, destined to run into notable characters from Black History and culture, since God logically granted someone from a background such as mine a love of Black Studies. Time and again I have run into notable Black folks, standing in awe at God’s gift, knowing full well that it could not be mere coincidence that one coming from such a small, obscure place continues to run into so many famous people, with sprinkles of insight arising from each encounter. I was honored to hold private conversations with a guy who eventually became the first African-American President of the United States, and heard him offer penetrating insight as to what he envisioned in a potential wife long before he met Michelle. God's special gift to me with that situation comes from the fact that He allowed only Barack Obama and I to hear what was said. There is further charm in meeting our President because our meeting occurred between two "normal" people long before he became famous. I became good friends with a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr. I go to great lengths to describe the North Carolina basketball player who preceded Michael Jordan by several years, and whose career, as a college player, stands head-and-shoulders above all others, including Michael Jordan. Who am I referring to? I found myself in Chicago during Michael Jordan’s first NBA Championship, and observed him carefully, knowing full well that he was violating one of his parents’ integral, household injunctions. I became close to a 102 year old relative with the sharpness of mind of a 35 year old, who granted me the gift of her analysis of Barack Obama becoming President. This is all documented within the book. I offer story after story revolving around the themes of family, history and culture, doing my best to enrich my readers. I even manage to have a meeting with Malcolm X approximately 26 years after his death. How do I manage this? To get the richness that I am trying to deliver, you’ll need to get a copy of my book Reality’s Pen: Reflections On Family History & Culture. If you experience one-tenth the pleasure in reading the book as I did in writing it, your enjoyment will know no bounds. It’s a celebration of Life, in the truest sense of the word. A friend once told me that he could not imagine a careful reader disliking my book. I have had a number of others tell me that they simply could not put the book down once they began to read. Truly, Thomas D. Rush Read more