Most of you are familiar with the book Lies My Teacher Told Me. Some of the more infamous historical corrections made in this book include the truth about Christopher Columbus and the attempt to wipe out entire populations through genocide.
As a former history teacher, I can assure you that no one is talking about Christopher Columbus as a syphilitic drunken rapist as part of their state mandated social studies curriculum (or at least I hope not.)
The bottom line is that everything you were taught as a child is simply not true.
Fast forward to2015.
Over the past year I have been introduced to some very nice people who have a very strong agenda. To put it bluntly, these people represent the ultra conservative branch of the current Republican party.
Through a series of conversations I was asked if I had ever considered writing a book about the attack on Benghazi.
No. I had not.
I was informed that there was a market for such a book and that my new acquaintances would be excited to see what I could come up with on the subject. So I sat down and began toying with an idea and eventually did write such a book.
Shadow of Benghazi.
While my new acquaintances LOVED the title and the foreboding implications they were less excited by the contents. You see, I write fiction. I've never had any interest in writing nonfiction nor has it ever occurred to me to do so. Thus, Shadow of Benghazi classifies nicely as "historical fiction."
This apparently is not what my new contacts had in mind. In fact, they apparently thought I was writing some scathing "hidden truth" book about what "really" happened in Benghazi.
Or, to be more specific, what they WANT to believe happened in Benghazi.
In other words, this group wanted an over the top "tell all" about the sins of a certain former Secretary of State and presidential candidate.
They wanted something they could hold up as "the real truth."
Now let's analyze that for a moment.
How would a book that relied on a preconceived notion of guilt be "the truth" in any form?
The answer quite simply is it would not.
Thus leads us to the thin line between History and Historical Fiction.
Many of the books being published today have a very strong political agenda. Now, don't get me wrong, so do most history textbooks. The whole point of Social Studies Education in this country is to instill a certain amount of civic pride and loyalty in our students. In truth, the victor not only gets the spoils, but they get the right to record their own version of history. If you have any doubt of this, then hop online and look up a retelling of what we call the American Revolution as told by a history textbook written in Great Britain. In Germany, the textbooks make no reference to the Nazi Party or Adolf Hitler.
NO REFERENCE!
They tell us that we aren't supposed to lie to our kids. Yet we tell them a magical bunny leaves a basket on Easter Sunday and that Santa is watching to see if they are naughty or nice. While these "stories" may be harmless in the long run let me remind you that we also have a federal holiday named after Christopher Columbus.
There is enough lying and hypocrisy in what we teach as "History" in this country.
So I refused to add to it by writing a book that would classify as nonfiction and might be used as propaganda against a political candidate (regardless as to my own views of that person.)
In closing, I hope that everyone that reads Shadow of Benghazi enjoys it for what it is: HISTORICAL FICTION.
There was no Sgt. James Thatcher on duty at the Embassy the night of the attack.
There is no government conspiracy (that I have any knowledge of anyway) to cover up any truth.
Shadow of Benghazi is a STORY. The characters are MADE UP.
That, boys and girls, is what we call fiction.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Monday, November 23, 2015
Thanksgiving, ISIS and "Us vs. Them"
"I get so tired of this 'Us versus Them' mentality."
I overheard this statement while sitting at a sports bar surrounded by other men in a variety of team jerseys all rooting for their teams to defeat one opponent or another.
"God do I hate the Cowboys."
"The Packers suck."
"Why does Jacksonville even have an NFL team."
So much for hating "Us vs. Them" eh?
From our formative years we are taught to pick sides and compete in an "Us vs Them" format. Whether it be Pee Wee sports or video games or a simply backyard football game on Thanksgiving day, we are conditioned to identify some other group as our enemy and to attack them based solely on this "Us vs. Them" way of thinking.
k
While I can't disagree with hating the Dallas Cowboys or the Green Bay Packers, I did have a moment of harsh realization as another television set buried in the far corner of that same sports bar displayed yet another terrorist attack overseas.
The ultimate "Us vs. Them."
Given a few days to consider all of this I have come to the following conclusion: we as a people don't really want "World Peace."
Let that sink in for a second.
Sure we all say that we want to see World Peace in our lifetimes...then we take our children to their youth football or soccer leagues and coach them from the sidelines to destroy the opponent.
Now don't get me wrong, there are many positives to youth sports...this post is not an attack on organized athletics. My point here is that as a society we often perpetuate this "Us vs. Them" strategy into every walk of life. I've seen it in the workplace, at clubs and social gatherings, heck even at your own church. Our competitive natures get the best of us and the next thing you know friendships are damaged or even worse.
We all have that relative we try to avoid for this same reason. That may not seem like a competition but too often it is one.
So I say to each and every person who is reading this blog, let us take this coming Thursday, this Thanksgiving to truly be thankful for each other and set aside our competitive differences and just enjoy our loved ones.
Let's all take a day off from "Us vs. Them."
Or...at least until kickoff...
I overheard this statement while sitting at a sports bar surrounded by other men in a variety of team jerseys all rooting for their teams to defeat one opponent or another.
"God do I hate the Cowboys."
"The Packers suck."
"Why does Jacksonville even have an NFL team."
So much for hating "Us vs. Them" eh?
From our formative years we are taught to pick sides and compete in an "Us vs Them" format. Whether it be Pee Wee sports or video games or a simply backyard football game on Thanksgiving day, we are conditioned to identify some other group as our enemy and to attack them based solely on this "Us vs. Them" way of thinking.
k
While I can't disagree with hating the Dallas Cowboys or the Green Bay Packers, I did have a moment of harsh realization as another television set buried in the far corner of that same sports bar displayed yet another terrorist attack overseas.
The ultimate "Us vs. Them."
Given a few days to consider all of this I have come to the following conclusion: we as a people don't really want "World Peace."
Let that sink in for a second.
Sure we all say that we want to see World Peace in our lifetimes...then we take our children to their youth football or soccer leagues and coach them from the sidelines to destroy the opponent.
Now don't get me wrong, there are many positives to youth sports...this post is not an attack on organized athletics. My point here is that as a society we often perpetuate this "Us vs. Them" strategy into every walk of life. I've seen it in the workplace, at clubs and social gatherings, heck even at your own church. Our competitive natures get the best of us and the next thing you know friendships are damaged or even worse.
We all have that relative we try to avoid for this same reason. That may not seem like a competition but too often it is one.
So I say to each and every person who is reading this blog, let us take this coming Thursday, this Thanksgiving to truly be thankful for each other and set aside our competitive differences and just enjoy our loved ones.
Let's all take a day off from "Us vs. Them."
Or...at least until kickoff...
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Laziness, Donald Trump and my morning walk.
A year ago I committed myself to losing weight. I weighed 265 pounds, the most I had weighed in several years (for the record, my official high was 280 ten years ago.)
After several months, I was down to 240 lbs and felt better than I had in YEARS.
Fast forward to yesterday.
Yesterday I had my annual med check with my allergist. The nurse asked me to step on the scale.
257.5 lbs.
Not quite 265...but close enough to give me a moments pause. I immediately began to think of all the reasons I had put the weight back on. Then it became clear to me that my list was not a list of reasons but a list of excuses. There was only one reason.
Laziness.
A few days ago a coworker asked if I could ever see myself voting for Donald Trump. While I consider myself to be politically active and informed I realized that I could not answer my coworker's question because I had no idea where the Donald stood on several key issues. I knew all the soundbites from recent weeks and all of the commentators and reporters that Trump was feuding with but I had no idea where he stood on issues other than immigration and other hot button topics. In the information age there was only one explanation for my lack of knowledge.
Laziness.
Almost a year ago I completed the first draft of the sequel to my detective novel The Worst of Times. That first draft remains unedited. I have written and self published three other books since. None of which, in all honesty, sold a tenth as many downloads as The Worst of Times. It seems clear that the adventures of Patches O'Brien and friends has a much wider audience than anything else that I have written. Yet the sequel, Stranger Times, remains unedited.
Laziness.
I wish I knew the solution to my problem. I wish I had all the answers. I could easily blame my day job. That is if my day job began before 3 pm and I didn't have the majority of my mornings entirely to myself. When I look back over the past week I realize that I have spent hours upon hours watching preseason football and random baseball games on cable. While I have always enjoyed sports, there is more than a bit of irony in the fact that I sat on a couch and ate pretzels while watching athletes in top physical condition perform.
Laziness.
This morning I forced myself to walk around my neighborhood, not just once but twice. Now I stand in front of the kitchen table typing this post. I have two and a half hours before I have to clock in. I wish I could tell you that I was planning on doing something earth shattering that would change the course of human history. The truth is I'm planning to boil some chicken for a chicken salad. Not the worst thing a person has ever put into their body, but nothing to be proud of either.
I write this today for myself as much as for anyone who might be reading these words.
Something has to give...something has to change.
I'm not happy with what I see when I look in the mirror. And being overweight is just the tip of the iceberg.
I hope this post will serve as a wake up call both to myself and to others.
It's time to stop being so damn lazy.
It's time to do something better.
After several months, I was down to 240 lbs and felt better than I had in YEARS.
Fast forward to yesterday.
Yesterday I had my annual med check with my allergist. The nurse asked me to step on the scale.
257.5 lbs.
Not quite 265...but close enough to give me a moments pause. I immediately began to think of all the reasons I had put the weight back on. Then it became clear to me that my list was not a list of reasons but a list of excuses. There was only one reason.
Laziness.
A few days ago a coworker asked if I could ever see myself voting for Donald Trump. While I consider myself to be politically active and informed I realized that I could not answer my coworker's question because I had no idea where the Donald stood on several key issues. I knew all the soundbites from recent weeks and all of the commentators and reporters that Trump was feuding with but I had no idea where he stood on issues other than immigration and other hot button topics. In the information age there was only one explanation for my lack of knowledge.
Laziness.
Almost a year ago I completed the first draft of the sequel to my detective novel The Worst of Times. That first draft remains unedited. I have written and self published three other books since. None of which, in all honesty, sold a tenth as many downloads as The Worst of Times. It seems clear that the adventures of Patches O'Brien and friends has a much wider audience than anything else that I have written. Yet the sequel, Stranger Times, remains unedited.
Laziness.
I wish I knew the solution to my problem. I wish I had all the answers. I could easily blame my day job. That is if my day job began before 3 pm and I didn't have the majority of my mornings entirely to myself. When I look back over the past week I realize that I have spent hours upon hours watching preseason football and random baseball games on cable. While I have always enjoyed sports, there is more than a bit of irony in the fact that I sat on a couch and ate pretzels while watching athletes in top physical condition perform.
Laziness.
This morning I forced myself to walk around my neighborhood, not just once but twice. Now I stand in front of the kitchen table typing this post. I have two and a half hours before I have to clock in. I wish I could tell you that I was planning on doing something earth shattering that would change the course of human history. The truth is I'm planning to boil some chicken for a chicken salad. Not the worst thing a person has ever put into their body, but nothing to be proud of either.
I write this today for myself as much as for anyone who might be reading these words.
Something has to give...something has to change.
I'm not happy with what I see when I look in the mirror. And being overweight is just the tip of the iceberg.
I hope this post will serve as a wake up call both to myself and to others.
It's time to stop being so damn lazy.
It's time to do something better.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Lessons from Baltimore
Almost 7 years ago a friend of mine made a comment that has stuck with me to
this day.
"I think this Barack Obama guy is by far the best candidate but I just can't bring myself to vote for him."
Okay...I'm sure most of you have had a similar conversation about one political candidate or another. It wasn't the comment that caught my attention, it was his reasoning.
"You just don't understand how bad race relations will deteriorate if he wins this election. Right now things are quite because it's all under the surface. You have no idea what will boil over if a black man wins the presidency."
That was said to me in the summer of 2008.
Before Ferguson.
Before Baltimore.
Now before anyone gets too upset, let me assure everyone that I am not blaming the president for the situations in Ferguson or Baltimore.
Others have already done that. Too much time and effort has already been spent on playing the blame game. That doesn’t help anyone.
It is time to have an honest, serious, forthright discussion on the state of racial relations in this country. One word stands out from my friend's comment though: "deteriorate."
I would say he hit the nail on the head with that one.
I have had a wide variety of different jobs over the past twenty years and I have worked with a wide variety of people. The cultural and racial differences between these people were always evident, but as my friend said they were also below the surface.
That is no longer the case. I witness arguments on almost a daily basis that digress into racial tension. The arguments very rarely start off that way, but they always seem to devolve into something racial.
These experiences have led me to one very blatant conclusion: the concept of a post racial America is still far from our grasp.
Some believed we as a nation would achieve this goal the minute we elected a president that was anything other than white.
They were wrong.
Others believe that we can achieve this goal within the next generation.
That is not looking good either.
The bottom line is that race is still a hot button issue within the United States of America, even more so since the 2008 presidential election. The problem isn't going away. As my friend put it years ago, the situation is "deteriorating."
I wish I had all of the answers to this problem. I wish any of us did. But the truth is that only by opening ourselves up to an honest discussion about race relations can we ever begin the process of healing.
Cultures have differences. It is those differences that make each culture unique and special. It is time to embrace and celebrate our differences rather than carry irrational chips on our shoulders.
Something has to change, and soon, if we as a country have any chance of ever achieving any real sense of balance and harmony.
John Eric Buckley is the author of Disgruntled, Elsewhere and The Worst of Times. He is currently working on the sequel to his detective series The Worst of Times, tentatively titled Stranger Times. His latest novel, Disgruntled, is the first entry into a new series of semiautobiographical romantic comedies. The second installment, Sunny Side Up, will be published later this year. He is also currently editing a new short story collection. Buckley’s books are available in paperback or for download to all Kindle and Nook devices.
All of Buckley’s books are available at http://www.amazon.com/John-Eric-Buckley/e/B00F7MLT3I
"I think this Barack Obama guy is by far the best candidate but I just can't bring myself to vote for him."
Okay...I'm sure most of you have had a similar conversation about one political candidate or another. It wasn't the comment that caught my attention, it was his reasoning.
"You just don't understand how bad race relations will deteriorate if he wins this election. Right now things are quite because it's all under the surface. You have no idea what will boil over if a black man wins the presidency."
That was said to me in the summer of 2008.
Before Ferguson.
Before Baltimore.
Now before anyone gets too upset, let me assure everyone that I am not blaming the president for the situations in Ferguson or Baltimore.
Others have already done that. Too much time and effort has already been spent on playing the blame game. That doesn’t help anyone.
It is time to have an honest, serious, forthright discussion on the state of racial relations in this country. One word stands out from my friend's comment though: "deteriorate."
I would say he hit the nail on the head with that one.
I have had a wide variety of different jobs over the past twenty years and I have worked with a wide variety of people. The cultural and racial differences between these people were always evident, but as my friend said they were also below the surface.
That is no longer the case. I witness arguments on almost a daily basis that digress into racial tension. The arguments very rarely start off that way, but they always seem to devolve into something racial.
These experiences have led me to one very blatant conclusion: the concept of a post racial America is still far from our grasp.
Some believed we as a nation would achieve this goal the minute we elected a president that was anything other than white.
They were wrong.
Others believe that we can achieve this goal within the next generation.
That is not looking good either.
The bottom line is that race is still a hot button issue within the United States of America, even more so since the 2008 presidential election. The problem isn't going away. As my friend put it years ago, the situation is "deteriorating."
I wish I had all of the answers to this problem. I wish any of us did. But the truth is that only by opening ourselves up to an honest discussion about race relations can we ever begin the process of healing.
Cultures have differences. It is those differences that make each culture unique and special. It is time to embrace and celebrate our differences rather than carry irrational chips on our shoulders.
Something has to change, and soon, if we as a country have any chance of ever achieving any real sense of balance and harmony.
John Eric Buckley is the author of Disgruntled, Elsewhere and The Worst of Times. He is currently working on the sequel to his detective series The Worst of Times, tentatively titled Stranger Times. His latest novel, Disgruntled, is the first entry into a new series of semiautobiographical romantic comedies. The second installment, Sunny Side Up, will be published later this year. He is also currently editing a new short story collection. Buckley’s books are available in paperback or for download to all Kindle and Nook devices.
All of Buckley’s books are available at http://www.amazon.com/John-Eric-Buckley/e/B00F7MLT3I
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
John Calipari and the Price of Success
Like many of you I have spent a ridiculous amount of time watching college basketball over the past few weeks. While I have enjoyed that time I also openly admit that I have been less than productive during the phenomenon we all refer to as March Madness. Even advertisers have poked fun at the average basketball fan’s lack of productivity in a series of ads directing viewers to "play hookie" at one restaurant or another.
There is at least one person, however, who is very proficient and productive during March Madness though.
University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.
I realize that Coach Calipari is a very polarizing figure as I write this post. Fans either love him or hate him. It seems that fans love him as long as he is coaching their team but hate him if he is coaching any other team.
Even Kentucky fans were asking for his head just a few years ago when their beloved Wildcats missed the NCAA tournament and were then ousted in the first round of the NIT.
Oh how quickly we forget.
It has been said that time heals all wounds. Apparently so does a national championship.
As we approach yet another Final Four I find myself reflecting on what really makes a man like John Calipari so successful. After giving this considerable thought I have come to one simple conclusion: Coach Calipari simply does not care what you or I think about him.
Let that sink in for a moment.
We all pretend not to care at one point or another. We are told not to read or believe our own reviews. But how many of us can honestly say that we are completely unaffected by what others say or think of us?
Very few indeed.
But that is what makes Coach Calipari special, unique and quite honestly the best at what he does.
He lets his results speak for themselves and leaves the haters to be damned by their own words.
I often find myself struggling with the daily frustrations of striving to do something that matters. While there are moments of great encouragement (thank you to all of the people who read this blog, buy my books and have written me with encouraging words) there are also moments of great discouragement. I am blessed with some very encouraging people in my life but I also encounter some very negative, critical and miserable people as well. I have made an important decision in my life to silence the voices of this second group and instead focus upon those who have worked to build me up instead of trying to tear me down.
In this way, I empathize with Coach Calipari. It seems that every day there is one news story or another criticizing his methods, recruitment or coaching abilities.
Yet each and every day he stuns his critics by continuing to be successful on the largest of stages.
I hope that one day the same can be said for me...and for each of you. I hope that one day we can all silence (or at least learn to ignore) our critics and finally appreciate all of the wonderful experiences that this life has to offer.
I have often been told that success comes at a high price. Well, to those who say that I offer the following: so does failure.
I don't know about you, but I think I will take my chances and hope to someday deal with the complications and the price of success rather than the failure that comes with complacency.
John Eric Buckley
Author of Disgruntled, The Worst of Times and Elsewhere
http://www.amazon.com/Disgruntled-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00U7W3BX4
Visit my Author's Page at:
http://www.amazon.com/John-Eric-Buckley/e/B00F7MLT3I
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
KINDLE FREE EBOOK PROMOTION
SPECIAL FREE EBOOK PROMOTION!
My Scifi book Elsewhere will be available for FREE from Amazon #Kindle starting tomorrow March 12th!
The promotion will run for 5 days. If you haven't already, then be sure to download ELSEWHERE for FREE during this 5 day promotion!
Also look for my newest novel DISGRUNTLED also available for your Kindle for only 99 cents!
Here is the link to ELSEWHERE...remember the free promotion begins tomorrow March 12th!
My Scifi book Elsewhere will be available for FREE from Amazon #Kindle starting tomorrow March 12th!
The promotion will run for 5 days. If you haven't already, then be sure to download ELSEWHERE for FREE during this 5 day promotion!
Also look for my newest novel DISGRUNTLED also available for your Kindle for only 99 cents!
Here is the link to ELSEWHERE...remember the free promotion begins tomorrow March 12th!
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
My new novel Disgruntled
Today I am offering a preview of my newest novel DISGRUNTLED.
For several years I was a divorced bachelor living in a crummy run-down apartment in Louisville KY.
Those years were simultaneously some of the best and worst years of my life. My new novel, Disgruntled, tells the story of one particular summer when everything seemed to be going wrong. Then there was a girl. There's always a girl, isn't there? Well the real conflict in this story is that there wasn't just one girl. There were three. Three very different women from three very different paths of life. They say hind sight is 20/20 but sometimes even in hindsight the right choices aren't always made obvious to us. This novel is about struggling to make the right choice when you've spent years making the wrong ones.
I hope everyone will enjoy the new book. It is my first semi-autobiographical novel so this story is a bit more personal to me than the others. I have tried to be as open and honest as possible while still telling a memorable story.
Thanks again for your continued support! It means the world to me!
And as always...keep reading!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Disgruntled-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00U7W3BX4
For several years I was a divorced bachelor living in a crummy run-down apartment in Louisville KY.
Those years were simultaneously some of the best and worst years of my life. My new novel, Disgruntled, tells the story of one particular summer when everything seemed to be going wrong. Then there was a girl. There's always a girl, isn't there? Well the real conflict in this story is that there wasn't just one girl. There were three. Three very different women from three very different paths of life. They say hind sight is 20/20 but sometimes even in hindsight the right choices aren't always made obvious to us. This novel is about struggling to make the right choice when you've spent years making the wrong ones.
I hope everyone will enjoy the new book. It is my first semi-autobiographical novel so this story is a bit more personal to me than the others. I have tried to be as open and honest as possible while still telling a memorable story.
Thanks again for your continued support! It means the world to me!
And as always...keep reading!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Disgruntled-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00U7W3BX4
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