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Books > Fiction > True stories > General
Tommy Kennedy IV's final autobiography enters the millennium years
with energy, pace and sincerity. Immediately, we are swept into the
heart of London's Notting Hill and into the hypnotic centre of its
vibrant music scene. Tommy's management of the bands in his care is
in equal measure affectionate, creative and dedicated. Characters
such as Big Alan Clayton, The Assassin and Whiplash Jackson, Steve
Dior, Alan Blizzard, Billy Idle, Rainbow George are presented in
vivid techno-colour against the kaleidoscope of a cascading
sub-culture. The writing sparkles with anecdotal humour as we
observe their interactions which are always interesting, sometimes
hilarious and often tragic. When a series of tragedies manifest
into his own life Tommy reacts with his characteristic optimism and
the unexpected events do not serve to dampen his passion for
adventure. It is the birth of his son which gives Tommy a new lease
of life, transporting him into an era where his ego is relinquished
in favour of altruism and a more conscious way of living. This is
what makes this volume a must read, as despite the many adversities
we are never presented with a tale of victimisation. On the
contrary, the work emerges as a celebration of community cohesion,
freedom and friendship. This volume ends in 2020 as Tommy reaches
his sixtieth year. The ultimate message for his readers is that
they, like Tommy, can move forward confidently with a realisation
that even a global pandemic will not and can not diminish the human
spirit.
Historians refer to the Spanish Civil War as one of the bloodiest wars of the twentieth century. In 1937, at Mexico s request and offer, nearly 500 children from Spain remembered as Los Niños de Morelia were relocated via ship to Mexico to escape the war s violence. These children traveled across the sea without their families and were expected to return at the war s end. No one could have foreseen another world war was on the way or that that Franco s regime would prevent the children from coming home. These enduring conflicts trapped the children in a country far from their homeland, and many never made it back. Remember Me is Mario Escobar s novelization of these events, as told by a fictional survivor one of the children of Morelia who looks back upon his life after making the long and devastating journey across the Atlantic. This story explores the endurance of the human spirit as well as the quandary of a parent s impossible decision, asking: At what cost do you protect your child in the face of uncertainty?
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