Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Book Review: Consenting Adult by Peter Skeels

 


Excerpt:

“The definition of parents is two people who unite the egg of the female with the sperm of a male, resulting in the conception of a child. That is the easy part and even the fun part. And yes, there are other methods for becoming parents, so include everything you want. From the time the baby is united with his or her parents, those people become the child’s caretakers. Their most important job is to look after every one of the child’s needs until the child can take care of those needs themselves. “At birth, life begins, you are introduced into a family, and in that family, you become, almost instantly, an integral part, and you function in such a way that your mere existence makes the family different. The family, again almost instantly, behaves likewise except that some of the family are there to be your primary caregivers. Their job is different than any siblings you may have. Your primary caregivers are united in ensuring your survival and your existence go smoothly, and soon it seems like this is how it has always been. After a while, it is hard to remember a time when life was different. “As you grow, your personality grows, your individuality comes forth more and more, and your intelligence shows in ways unique to you. For reasons not really known or understood by anyone, you behave in ways that are unique to you. You make decisions based on nebulous ideas and feelings that come from where? “You are bathed and dressed, your diapers are changed, you are fed regularly, the dog and cat are watched more closely for fear they might inadvertently hurt you, and you, the most dependent human in the home, are cared for and looked after by everyone there, including the dog but probably not the cat. “The model for how to raise a child has been in place for a long time now. It’s true that there has been some tweaking here and there, but basically, the model is there for all to see. Each of us experienced being raised, so we have that personal information as well. “The system for education was agreed on a long time ago, and the books were decided on and published also a long time ago. Our neighbourhoods were drawn and built, the roads in and out were planned and built, the shopping centres and schools were planned and built, as was the infrastructure. Everyone complied; everyone accepted this new life as if it was a natural progression. “Children become who they are. It is true, of course, that their sphere of influence will affect them, and that sphere of influence may not be understood as deeply as it should be understood. An example of this sphere of influence, and perhaps the part that is not deeply understood, is your parents’ parents were born and raised in a time where none of today’s technology, high rises, freeways, space stations, cell phones and so much more even existed. There was no internet, there was no Siri, and there were no email or phones people could carry in their pockets. For decades, there was no way to leave a voice message, so one would have to phone the person back. Sometimes, when one could leave a voice message, it would be hours and probably the next day before the phone call was returned. Cars were different, the world was less crowded, and it many places there wasn’t overcrowding at all. Fast food was beginning to become popular and, in some places, girls would take your order and bring your food to your car while wearing roller skates. There were drive-in movies, and kids walked to school without their parents worrying that anything bad might happen to them.


Quote

“The tie-in is coming. My lectures, the one today and possibly others in the future, are designed to take you all deeper into your writing than perhaps you have been previously. I am not interested in reading superficial writing, or immature writing, and I am not interested in writing that is not from the heart or from a part of the mind that has thought about it. So, we’re going to travel down a timeline, establish where we are, how we got here, and then I am going to choose a subject or topic to write about, and you’re going to write about that topic.”

 

#2

“The purpose of the conflicts was dominance. It’s as simple as that. Corporal punishment is about dominance. Domestic abuse is about dominance. War is about dominance. Some people use their intellect to dominate others while some people use their intellect to educate others. Probably the same could be said about corporal punishment and war too. Certainly, Germany was given a pretty major attitude adjustment by losing World War II, as was Japan, and while a lot of people despise corporal punishment, there is a large segment that believes it still serves a purpose. But we can discuss that later. “For now, though, the theme is on intellect, the sphere of influence in our lives and the how and why of self-improvement.”


Review

“Who are we now? What am I supposed to be doing?” The opening questions during a creative writing class left Jonathan’s students at a loss. Me included.

The first class was occupied by his lecture about life, people and where we derived from, and the students were nothing wiser about how it linked with creative writing. This went on for several chapters and set the premises of the story line throughout that made for slow reading.

What I appreciate, though, was that each word was deliberately chosen, which made for compelling reading.

Jonathan’s primary aim was to make his students stop and think about who they are, where they come from, and where they are going. He asked the hard questions, and his students could either stay and listen or flee. That most remained tells us that the students, too, were ready to explore more than just what the class entailed.

To write from your sphere of influence is the most freeing experience but also intimidating place you can think of. And by addressing this, the author has eloquently set the pace of this book.

The questions set in the synopsis took a few chapters before it surfaced. The reason for my four and not five stars. I felt that the author could have brought it in quicker into the storyline.

The questionnaire was an interesting opener, “What if there was a modern-day Moses, and he heard God wanted him to rewrite the Ten Commandments now? What would they be if they were written today?”

I like Jonathan’s openness about life and himself, exploring the possibilities of life and his part in it. Even through his own experiences, you realize early on that this man is older, has a few tricks up his sleeve, and loves to teach.

In my writing, I always ask what’s the reason I’m writing this book? What is the purpose and what do I want to say? Only when I can answer them can I truly write the story. The reason I liked the way the author implemented the plot and opened the students to greater thoughts.

“Your relationship with god shall be first in your life.

The relationship with yourself shall be your number one human relationship.

You shall strive to have the highest moral character.” These are some of the self-made commandments that are all about me and where I fit in, and I give them points for attempting this. It helped the students to look deeper, question their own life and their motives. It also helped them to finally be true on the paper.

The sexual content was unexpected, and robotic and I didn’t care about it. No emotion was attached to it and I skipped those parts. The relationship with Susan felt forced and made little sense.

Jonathan was an open-minded heterosexual man that loves a good romp in bed. Being in a relationship with a married woman didn’t bother him. That was his way of life. That he brought into his commandments: Marriage shall be between consenting adults—an ironic command for someone who didn’t honor marriage.

But then, given the topic, and the name of the book, it made sense to bring it in. We are supposed to be consenting adults in life, not only in relationships, taking responsibility for our lives, and be truthful of who we are to ourselves. The real reason for the book.

Lynelle Clark’s review of Consenting Adult | Goodreads

Consenting Adult - Kindle edition by Skeels, Peter. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Consenting Adult by Peter Skeels - Reader reviews | Reedsy Discovery


                

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