Will D. Campbell (1924–2013)

I was expecting this book to be about Will Campbell and his work in this memoir but that was in the background and his relationship with his brother took centre stage. Nevertheless, I was wowed by a lot of the wisdom to come out of these pages, as well as the humanity and foibles that encompass life. Not only is it an unflinching look at addiction and mental illness, it is also a primer of the days of segregation and racism in the south and ultimately north United States. Favorite quote from page 220 - "We're all bastards, but God loves us anyway." Also in the same chapter is Will's conviction by a non-Christian about that exact quote, and the revelation that God doesn't just love and work for the blacks who've lived under oppression but that he also loves and works for the members of the Ku Klux Klan. What an eye-opener. I have a lot to go and think about now.… (mais)

This book was on the top of a pile of donations in the library. I was attracted purely by the title and paid the librarian a dollar for the volume. It wasn't what I expected at all, which serves me right for judging it by its cover, I suppose. It's one man's view of the struggle for equality of opportunity in the Southern USA. It is a wonderful book, lacing the story of the author's homestead (particularly his pet goat, Jackson) into the wider picture of the anti-segregation and anti-Vietnam war movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

Will Campbell trained to be a preacher but his views and his preaching style proved to be out of step with potential employers in the South. It's easy to see why, on reading this book. He's far too thoughtful and irreverent to be able to sit comfortably in any established church. I found his attitudes towards organised religion and its rites and ceremonies utterly refreshing. The history of the protest movements was fascinating, disturbing and ultimately depressing.… (mais)