Books

In his second book, John details, with honesty and humour, growing up in a religious family in Australia in the 1960s and 1970s. Through colourful vignettes, he remembers what it was like to grow up in that environment and in that era. He explores how this shaped his life, and how love of family and his native country, as well as friendship, sustained him after he moved to Canada.

 

Gifted the discovery of his father's memoirs, John weaves in his dad’s recollections of his own younger years in the social context of Australia in the 1940s and 1950s, plus the thoughts and influences of other relatives. In one chapter, he documents the tumultuous experiences of his paternal grandfather in World War 1. He describes how these exemplified personal struggles and reverberations felt in wider society and down through generations.

 

Ultimately, John reveals the challenges of how he faced up to parental expectations surrounding growing up Baptist, and how he developed a sense of self in finding his feet as an adult. He points out the significance of serendipity, as well as parallel insights into life in Australia and Canada. He also demonstrates how learning to listen with respect and get on with people who have different outlooks is a lifelong challenge, often starting with your immediate family!