Böcker utgivna av Tin Gate

Who am I? This question is often asked in youth, as a part of "coming of age".No longer in his youth, the author asks the question in hindsight, in the form of a memoir not only about individuals - himself and his father - but also about the nations and communities that nurtured them.Those nations happen to be Britain and China and the specifics matter. It is possible, however, that generalities matter more, in particular those to do with shared human characteristics from which neither the British nor the Chinese can escape.One of those characteristics is migration: humans travel beyond national and community boundaries, and one of the themes of this book is being both Chinese in Britain and British in China - both the author and his father fit these categories. Another is the ability to make progress, for example with the Chinese in Britain moving over recent decades from salt (seafaring), to soap (laundering), to soy(catering), to science. Such progress - both specific and general is made possible with the help of knowledge and education. The book focuses upon three forms which are both descriptive (of the past) and prescriptive (of possible futures): history, literature and science.Through a family story and using his background in science, the author tells a tale of how we come to be where we are today, with a warning that we must heed the lessons of our past, not only within our own families, communities and nations, but also within those of others as well.

An expatriate son's intimate memoir and tribute to his mother The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me traces the trials, tribulations, and unbreakable bond of two Pacific Northwest characters. Kay Schlinkman grows up on the banks of the Columbia River in the 1930s and 1940s. She overcomes a small logging town's ostracism in the late 1950s for her divorce, excommunication by the Catholic Church for remarrying, severe criticism and rejection for defending her son's refusal to go to war, and the burden of paying off her second husband's gambling debts. In her forties, she becomes a licensed pilot and flies two summers as a forest fire spotter. After a second divorce in her fifties, she takes night classes to become qualified as a legal secretary and continues to work until she's seventy-eight.After an idyllic childhood in the redwoods and a rebellious adolescence following his parents' divorce, Robert Norris enters the Air Force, becomes a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, is court-martialed and goes to military prison, embraces the counterculture upon release, wanders the world in search of his identity, and eventually lands in Japan, where he finds his niche as a university professor, spends two years as the dean of students, and retires as professor emeritus.Despite their separation by the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Robert and Kay maintain a lifelong commitment of love, respect, and support that enriches both their lives. Kay visits Japan eight times. Robert, his wife, and Kay journey to Ireland to trace her father's roots. The Good Lord Willing provides a heart-warming example of how far a mother and son can go in maintaining their bond against great odds. A must read for all mothers and sons, and for those who've wondered what the road less traveled would've been like, had they taken that first step.