4 out of 4 stars
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I've read numerous books on how to write well. I've also read numerous autobiographies. What I hadn't ever read before, however, was an autobiography of an author who speaks equally of his own life, lessons he learned and of lessons concerning writing. Persistence, Then Peace by Tom Mach has made it so I can no longer say that!
Tom, 76 years old as he writes this book, has lived a life full of varying experiences. Born and raised in Chicago, Tom attended Catholic school where strict nuns ruined religion for him (although later in life he did come back to it, and even thanks God for his blessings and abilities). Despite this, he was very imaginative, referring to himself as a "Tom Sawyer" kind of kid - he would make up and play all sorts of games outside. As time went on he married an incredibly loving woman named Virginia and had 2 kids.
Writing had always been his passion, and he found work doing market research. While he wasn't often exactly passionate about the subject material, Tom became incredibly good at being able to research most anything and write about it. He put this skill to writing articles as well, even managing to write about things like river rafting with only information garnered from research (and this was pre-Internet!). Throughout his professional career and into retirement Tom moves so many times, works for so many companies, writes so many articles and attempts to publish books so many times it would take me a book of my own to explain it all!
Most important of all, though, is that throughout Tom's journey he is always sincere. The way he blends his experiences into his inspirations for writing articles, short stories, poetry, novels and even the occasional play or song is both enlightening and inspiring. The book is told as if he's recalling the events to a loved one, and that emotion shines through.
Perhaps the most inspiring thing, though, is that his "true writing career didn’t begin until [he] was about thirty-eight" despite his love of writing being evident since at least college. It's a testament to the fact that anyone can follow their dreams at any age. The fact that he repeatedly attempted to have his novels published and never once succeeded despite such success with articles and so much else in his life also speaks of how commercial success really isn't the most important thing in life. For all those who have tried and failed at publication, there's a lot to relate to!
Despite never being "officially published", he managed to start his own publication company and released several titles this way. While Tom never brags or tries to show off, I'll admit I really became intrigued by some of his work. His most successful work, a historical fiction trilogy following a woman who lived through the Quantrill raid (the horrific massacre of an entire town of innocents), the Civil War and women's suffrage sounded amazing, and he was repeatedly told how accurate the story was even by Civil War historians. There's also a fantastic, sweet short story in the appendices in the back, one he had published in Lawrence Journal World. Following this short story is also a listing of all the works he (remembers) ever creating, from those that were hardly more than a concept to those that were published. The list is absolutely astounding and is broken down by type and its publication status.
My favorite part of the book, however, was the end. In it, Tom recaps ten of the lessons he's learned in his life. These are as honest as can be and could sell a book on their own! My only real flaw with the book would be that it could have used a little editing. It's hardly even noticeable most of the time (a missing period here and there), and it isn't very frequent at all, but it happened enough to mention.
Persistence, Then Peace is a wonderful book, one absolutely worthy of 4 out of 4 stars. A quote Tom uses a few times in the book is as fitting of the title as it is a recap of his life - "giving up is easy but stupid. Not giving up is challenging yet wise." For those who need encouragement, for fellow authors (even as a game developer I found his story inspiring!) and for anyone who enjoys a great autobiography, I definitely suggest this one to you.
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Persistence, Then Peace
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