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Member: erwinkennythomas

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About meMemoirs

I earned a BSc degree (1970) in Speech from the University of Oregon - Eugene, a MS (1972) in Television from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and a Ph.D (1978) in International Journalism and Broadcasting from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

I read a number of books at the same time. There are so many good books that I generally try book reviews first, especially from The New York Times, the New York Review of Books, and the London Review of Books.

I prefer nonfiction to fiction and I love good poetry. My selections are also determined by my wife Mary who was a reference librarian at Tidewater Community College (TCC) in Chesapeake, Virginia. She always has some good insights and surprises for me.

For over 30 years I mainly read journalism and mass media related books since that was my professional field. Now that I am a retired professor I just could kick up my heels, have a good cup of coffee or iced tea and read to my heart's delight.

My Personal Struggles Relates To What I Read

My personal struggles and poverty in Guyana, depression and triumphs have shaped my insights. That is why I love autobiographies and biographies. After all, I had achieved the distinction of being the first American Guyanese of African origin to have earned the Ph.D from the School of Journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

After 28 years in media in the classroom, I used to question was this all to life? Why was it that after lecturing I wanted to escape, be at home and sleep on the couch, or just watch TV?

I did what was required as an educator, served as chair and graduate director of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Norfolk State University, Virginia, wrote articles, edited books, attended and participated in conferences, seminars and conventions, but there was still something missing in my life.

It was true that while pursuing an education in the United States I never attended church nor prayed or felt it necessary to do so. This was a departure from my early life as a baptized and confirmed Anglican at St George's Cathedral Church in Georgetown, Guyana.

The United States brought with it many temptations that were hard to resist. Once being married my wife of American-Czech descent - a Catholic, I worked at setting things right. In 1981, with the birth of our son Matthew, we found a home to worship at the Church of the Holy Apostles, an ecumenical community of Roman Catholics and Episcopalians in Virginia Beach.

Over time I explored religious faiths in prayers and texts of the West and the East, trying to grasp their full importance in past and present civilizations and developed my own spirituality known as docfuthirstane - "Doctors to further future heirs' and heiresses' stance." These approaches I endeavored to relate with the role and responsibilities of mass media in America and the world.

In the year 2002 I was diagnosed with chronic renal failure. This seemed to have occurred from my prolonged use of lithium for manic depression. For some reason, one of my former internist did not monitor my condition diligently. It was not until I changed physicians that I was informed about my condition.

On hearing this news I was devastated. I accepted the dignosis calmly. I told my wife Mary that my illness would become a personal project. This led me to read books on health related issues, specialized cookbooks and other works on physical exercise and dieting.

There seems to emerge a new me with lots of energy, stamina, and a mission for life. I eventually had found my life's mission through my personal experiences, reflecting on ethical and philosophical writings, and by embracing a more balanced lifestyle. So, although my nephrologist informed me that I had 39 percent of my kidneys remaining, for the first time in my life I felt alive and well.

Life in Guyana

My early life in Guyana was rather simple. Georgetown where I lived had all of the attributes of an agrarian society. It was not unusual to see farm animals roaming the streets, animal drawn vehicles and flooded ditches lasting for days after rainstorms. In this tropical paradise my life evolved around school. Our books were mainly authored and published in England and stories were based on British events, politics and sports. It was most unusual to read about Guyanese, West Indian or Caribbean affairs, literature or sports events.

It was as though Guyana, the West Indies and the Caribbean did not matter much. The reason for this was obvious. England and later America were the reservoirs of power, printing presses and publishing houses . Theirs were the predominant capitals of the world. Thus, there was the phenomenon that Guyanese looked abroad for directives, solutions and their literature.

Guyanese read about the four seasons of the temperate zones when their experience was only sunshine and rainstorms. During the christmas season local trees were decorated with foreign ornaments and artificial snow. Santa Claus was white. Some locals considered foreign fruits to be superior to local ones. This was the mind set of the pre-1950s.

It was in the 1960s that the winds of change began to blow throughout the region. The local and international literature show that there were marked by ethnic rivalries and political conflicts between Afro- and Indo-Guyanese.

There were numerous riots and strikes that rocked the nation as it marched towards independence. It was through this national consciousness, bloodshed and agony that the nation achieved independence on May 26, 1966 that gave rise to a blossoming of literary works in and about Guyana.

Some well known novels relating to Guyana that appeared included Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, and W. H. Hudson's Green Mansions. Other local authors that were able to cash in on the evolving cultural and political climate were Wilson Harris, Jan Carew, Denis Williams, O. R. Dathorne, Christopher Nicole, and E.R. Braithwaite, whose novel To Sir With Love achieved international acclaim. Edgar Mittelholzer, a Guyanese of Swiss heritage is still known outside of the country for his novel Corentyne Thunder.

Ethnic strife remained in the 1970s and 1980s. Afro- and Indo-Guyanese were still not reconciled. The Afro-Guyanese leader Forbes Burnham of the People's National Congress (PNC) base eventually fell out with accusations that elections were rigged. The People Progressive Party (PPP) with more than 50 percent of East Indian following eventually came to power.

Cheddi Jagan of the PPP and his followers were greeted with a new world of the internet, ebooks, online newspapers and cell phones. Not that they mattered presently in the electoral process, but many in the urban centers were turning to internet cafes that connected them to public and international opinions about Guyana.

Essentially today, although there is divison among the races, there are national and international communities, TV - both foreign and domestic, and the usage of cell phones for sound, text and video. These sources would eventually have more ramifications politically for the local and foreign publishing presses. Guyana despite its problems would eventually be more aligned with the world and might well come to realize its goal of "unity in diversity." The presence of emails and blogs are the most apparent tools in this framework.

About my libraryMy library pales in its representation of all the specialized books I have read in Journalism and Mass Communications. Save for my own publications - Mass Media in 2005: Industries, Organizations, People, and Nations (2001), A Handbook on Mass Media in the United States: The Industry and its Audiences (1994), both a co-editor, Westport, Ct: Greenwood Publishing Group, and author of Make Better Videos With Your Camcorder (1991), Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB BOOKS Inc. - that I have cataloged, I would continue to enter books and reviews as I read and hear about them.

Possibilities are endless. It is a challenge and I could keep track of my literary and other interests without missing a beat. I would Include my wish list of those books that I have perused at Amazon.com, Words Without Borders, Barnes & Nobles, Borders, and other small and independent bookstores.

I pay attention also to C-Span and PBS programs where publishers and authors are interviewed, serve on seminars, read and discuss books. Finally, there is the Library Thing community where I could see what others are reading and the recommendations they are making.

Homepagehttp://www.furl.net/members/erwinkennythomas

Real nameErwin K. Thomas

LocationVirginia Beach, VA

Emailerwinkennythomasyahoo.com

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Member sinceJun 8, 2006