Once Upon a Time in Africa - Stories of Wisdom and Joy (2004) By Joseph G Healey - A Review

This is a unique and intriguing book that remarkably captures the essence of African society in response to and in cooperation with Christianity, other religions, and foreign society. But this is not an academic book laden with complex and boring theories. Rather, the book contains close to 100 short stories that convey experiences of east Africans with christian missionaries from the west. Each story is unique and can convey an African parable, an abridged African story, an encounter with a group of Africans, missionary work in African schools, African response to death and dying, the extent to which Africans compete with each other relative to other world societies, the importance of Africans sharing and running together, how Africans perceive Christianity and foreign behavior, etc. Many of the stories are humorous, but the value message does not become lost. A Maasai moran wonders how great Jesus was. Relating to the Maasai aspect of recognizing greatness and manhood, the moran questions whether Jesus ever killed a lion and how many wives he had.

In a running competition, a nun wonders why the schoolgirls keep crossing the finishing line together. They tell her that they do not want to leave anyone behind, they want to finish together. Many of these stories convey African society as highly cooperative, not heavily dwelling on a person outpointing and crushing the other and taking the spotlight. Africans traditionally do not want to be separated from each other, and will work hard to stay together even when threatened by differences in religious belief. They are far less materialistic than many other societies of the world, they can achieve joy and happiness in the face of poverty and misfortune; they are generally not imbued with that western spirit of materialism, monopoly, and selfishness.

Africans believe in re-incarnation, believing that the spirit of a good person always returns to earth through a newborn, dead ancestors are guardian angels. African societies are shown to have their accounts of creation. African proverbs are numerous and tell a lot about Africans. In the book, Africans are portrayed in their homes, the gardens, in church, in prayer, in hunting, at work, etc. This is indeed a book about African joy and wisdom concisely illustrated with short significant stories, tales, proverbs, encounters and happenings.

Once Upon a Time in Africa - Stories of Wisdom and Joy (2004) By Joseph G Healey - A Review

Father Joseph Healey, who is originally from the United States and has operated in east Africa for several decades, managed to compile a gem of a book that one never gets tired of reading. Healey's extensive practical familiarlization with many African languages and ways of life made him the ideal candidate to compile this heart-warming and objective volume. More than any other text, the book illustrates joy and wisdom in the day-to-day basic lives of Africans and their response to a new world that gets smaller and smaller and becomes more connected. The contents also illustrate how people from other parts of the world practically respond to and perceive African life. The stories in this book are short, but their messages are very powerful. Lessons on Africa are conveyed through aspects of adventure, ministering, religion, folklore, prayer, stories, African culture, poetry, spirituality, and tales.

Once Upon a Time in Africa - Stories of Wisdom and Joy (2004) By Joseph G Healey - A Review
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How to Write Juicy Short-Story Introductions

The introduction for a short story should always be juicy...

It should give the reader enough incentive to go on. Oftentimes, the reader asks herself "What is in it for me?"

Short Stories

It is your job, as the writer, to answer that question. Whether or not she will proceed with reading your story depends on how well you answer that question.

How to Write Juicy Short-Story Introductions

The awful truth is that no matter how fabulous your story is, if your introduction is lame, your readers won't go further than the first few paragraphs. So it is definitely something you should not overlook.

A juicy introduction is one that...

captivates the mind of the reader. promises a lot of good things. witty, yes, but not too complex.

Check out the following introductory paragraph of a story:

Once upon a time, there lived a little boy whose name was Bill. He lived in a town called Happy Town. The town was full of happy people. His family was also a happy one. Their home was warm, cosy and happy. The school he went to was called Happy Days Primary School.

After reading this paragraph, how much enthusiasm do you have to go on reading? The very first sentence almost bored me to tears. "Once upon a time" used to be a very cool phrase in the past, but let's get real-it has become a mere cliche nowadays, and hardly anyone uses it anymore, unless, of course, you are into writing stories for very young children...

The phrase "Once upon a time" also suggests that what follows is extremely fictitious and quite off from reality. Modern short story writing has become more and more about realism and about the oft unresolved problems that face humanity. So if you write about issues that affect people-day to day issues that they wrestle with, I reckon that they will be more inclined to read...

True, fairy tales have their own allure, but life is anything but a fairy tale nowadays and unless someone is in the mood, they will just yawn and close the book. But if you promise something that is a bit more realistic, someone may read a few more paragraphs, or sentences.

A juicy introduction screams "read more!!!" and it is so subtly alluring that the reader will find herself reading more without even realizing it. If someone has to labour on to read your story, it is not good. They have all the reason to toss it aside and pick up their TV remotes. In today's hectic world, people are usually busy or tired, so why make it harder for them by using unnecessarily big words or complex language? Furthermore, with time becoming ever so precious, you must convince your readers that your story is worth reading and won't be a waste of their time. And you must do that in your first few sentences.

By all means, lay off the cliches and trite phrases. They will not win the reader's interest. Try witty expressions that leave readers hungering for more. Cleverly constructed sentences and phrases are hypnotising and people easily fall in love with them. How easy is it to hypnotise the reader with "Once upon a time?" unless you use real magic, maybe...

So let us juice things up a bit on our paragraph. Let's kick out the proverbial "Once upon a time."(Sorry if you have fallen in love with it, but it has to go...):

Bill Happy was a happy kid-a very happy kid indeed....

The question that is ringing in your head is probably: "What the heck was he so happy about?" So your automatic reaction will be to read the next sentence and find out. You get the secret now, don't you? Leave the reader hungering and thirsting for more; don't give out everything at once. Consider the introduction as the desert-whets people's appetite for the main meal, which in this case is the body of the story.

Now the paragraph get's even more interesting:

He had everything a kid his age would want-a wonderful, loving family; good friends; and he went to a happy little school called Happy Days Primary School. He lived in a happy town full of happy people. The neighbourhood he lived in was happy and peaceful. But above all, his home was happy and cosy.

At this point the reader is exclaiming: "Come on, there is no place on earth were people are so happy!" Ah, she is probably right, but hey, you aroused her interest. She really wants to know why these guys are so happy and so she reads on. And, wait for it...

Bingo! Your story is read!

Remember your most powerful weapon-the first sentence. Notice the following introductory sentences in LJ Kundananji's stories:

"She was everything that I dreamt of-everything." -Lost Dream

"Esnart and I had decided to rendezvous at the end of the corridor-the high way." -She stood waiting

"When he left, he left without saying goodbye-or at least not in the manner he should have."-Forgotten.

"There were five girls crowded in the little room."- Girl Power

"Lewis hurled a stone into the Gomer Lakes."- Can't Live Without you

To read these and more of LJ Kundananji's stories, visit http://www.writing-lovers.com

All the above introductory sentences have one thing in common: they arouse curiosity. Who was she that was everything he dreamt of? For what purpose had they agreed to rendezvous? Why is this guy regretting not having said goodbye? Why are these five girls crowded in the little room? For what reason is Lewis hurling a stone into the Gomer lakes?

The only way that the reader can find out is to read more. By all means arouse curiosity, and more curiosity...

Do you see how powerful an introduction is? Do you? Good...then you are on your way to writing juicy introductions. If you do that, more people will read your stories, no matter how boring they are!!!

How to Write Juicy Short-Story Introductions

Michael Sinkolongo

I assist writers to write with feeling and infuse their work with passion and flair.

http://www.writing-lovers.com

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All Quiet on the Western Front - A Book Review

All Quiet on the Western Front is a book written by Erich Maria Remarkque. It was a book written to reflect the human cost of war. It shows us how war has a hidden face that most people do not see until it is too late. In the novel, he describes a group of young men who at first think war is glorious. But as the war drags on, the group discovers how war is not all it is set out to be. As the war went on, they saw their friends either die or be permanently wounded. Then the end comes when there was only one person left.

All Quiet on the Western Front takes place in Germany where a group of young boys are first encouraged to join the military. Thinking that it would be a great adventure, they enlisted, not knowing the fate that lies before them. At first, the group is sent to training. They aren't in a serious mood, thinking that war conditions aren't as bad as they really are. When the boys are sent to the front, it is only then when they start to realize how war is not great. This is when the boys are cramped into the trenches. Some of the soldiers were shell-shocked because of the constant bombardment. When one of the boys was wounded, he was taken to a hospital where there were many wounded soldiers. Some soldiers had to have parts of their bodies amputated in order to survive. When Kemmerich was in the hospital, Müller ask for his pair of boots. The boots was a visible reminder to the boys of the cost of war. Paul then has to face his own conscience when he kills one of the Frenchmen. He doesn't see the face of an enemy but just a face of another human being. He tries to comfort himself by promising to help the fallen soldier's family. After Paul is relieved from the front line, he decides to go on leave and return home. But when he tries to tell everyone of the horrible conditions of the trenches, everybody either laughs him off or calls him a coward. Paul returns before his leave actually ended, wishing that he had never come home. In the end, when Paul loses Kat, Paul realizes that the war has destroy his way of life. He has lost all his friends and has nothing to return to.

Short Stories

There were many symbols and images in All Quiet on the Western Front. Examples of this include the pair of boots and the constant urge for companionship. The pair of boots and the fact that it was passed around so often tells us that death was a very common occurrence during the war and that the soldiers wanted to use everything then could find in order to aid their chances of survival. The urge for companionship is shown when the group crosses the river to see the French girls and when the group sees the picture of the girl while having a drink. As the boys start being killed in the war, the group wished that everything could that they could be back home doing things they enjoy. The pictures serve as a reminder that war disrupts everything, from people's lives and their dreams and ambitions.

All Quiet on the Western Front - A Book Review

The major theme of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front is that war must be avoided at all cost because of the severe consequences that will arise. War causes people to lose friends, makes people worried and creates a feeling of uncertainty among innocent people. War also creates hatred among people. For example, two friends of different nationalities may become bitter enemies only because their respective countries are at war.

I think the novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a well told story, mixing both fiction and non-fiction into a powerful novel which forces people to think deeply about war and all of its possible repercussions. The book makes me think of all the lost talent that was lost during the war. Even though levels of technology increases exponentially, we have to wonder what the people who died in the war could have done to help the human cause. The novel also tells us that friendship always prevails even though tough times. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that war can be short and glorious. Through this book, any reader can see that war brings unnecessary death to innocent people (soldiers and civilians). After reading the book, the reader will probably have a different outlook on war and all the low points that it brings.

Through this book, we, as human beings, should find attempt to find solutions through discussion and compromise instead of warfare. Countries in war may feel that they are gaining a lot through wars but what they fail to see is the losses they have suffered. In many cases, the gain is negligible when it is compared to the losses.

All Quiet on the Western Front - A Book Review

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