Published by Eagle Peak Press, this 260-page memoir is the true story of a boy growing up in America in the fifties and sixties. Read how he overcame adversity to create value in his life and those around him.
Those seeking happiness amidst the suffering or disillusionment of day to day life will find hope in reading Waiting for Westmoreland. Those seeking redemption for past mistakes, will also find a means to achieve it. The book is the true story of a 20th century Candide—an innocent growing up in America in the fifties. As a boy, the author suffers the death of loved ones. Spending a year in Vietnam, with its readily available sex and drugs, thoroughly corrupts his youth. Then the political realities of the war and Watergate shatter his idealistic illusions about America. So, to reclaim his virtue and ideals, he thinks he must reform the people or institutions that failed him.
His quest for the tools of change becomes a frustrating pursuit. Finally, he encounters a person who has the knowledge he needs. She introduces him to the life philosophy of Buddhism, which reveals that the credit or blame for all of life’s events lies within—not from others. Looking for happiness outside oneself is fruitless. Only by taking personal responsibility for one’s own life can one be truly happy. Reforming oneself, not trying to change others, is the means for making the world a better place.
Excerpt
“If the two of them get married or I find the two of them together, I’ll kill the both of them.” It was the week before Thanksgiving, 1979, when a shaky-voiced Juanita called to pass along her father’s plans for us. At least that is what she overheard him telling her brother.
“He’s just saying that, right?”
“Maybe, but we need to take this seriously—he has a gun in a safe at home,” she said, a tremble of fear in her voice.
“But he wouldn’t really do that, would he?” No way, I thought.
“You don’t know my father. He has a very angry nature. There are things he’s done that…well, things I can’t tell you about. But believe me, he is perfectly capable of it.”
“So what are we going to do?” I asked, my disbelief finally fading.
“I don’t know. I just want you to be careful. He might be following me.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t come here to my place for a while.”
“We could still see each other at activities,” she added, hopefully.
“Unless he followed you. What kind of car does he drive?”“A ’78 Caprice wagon. It’s black.”“OK. Let’s lay low for a few days, just to be safe. We need to think about this.”
"We need to chant about it!"
"Uh, yeah, I guess so."
Professional Reviews
One man's journey from chaos to inner peace.
Here we have a book that is much more than memoir, and more life journey told (and written) exceedingly well and with great courage. If the writer's mandate is to 'open a vein', Maberry has opened that vein and allowed whatever flowed to fill this work. From his background in hardscrabble Minnesota, enduring the loss of a parent, then for all intents and purposes the loss of the other, the author describes his various efforts to carve a niche for himself. Just as his efforts appear to be paying off, he's found a companion, started school, navigated his way through the shoals of early adulthood, when the Selective Service System came calling and he was drafted. Change scenes to Vietnam in 1967-68, and Maberry begins again to sort out the fictions of America's involvement in South Asia Vs the realities of war: No clear purpose for being there; chauvinistic treatment of Vietnamese people, especially the abuse of women; and a lifer sergeant who embodied everything wrong with the American military. Maberry returns from Vietnam disillusioned, cynical and without real purpose. Indeed, it's a mistake to refer to Waiting for Westmoreland as simply a war memoir. It's much more one man's journey from chaos and the vicissitudes of life, to finding inner peace through Buddhism, something that surprised even the author, until he saw how the practice worked in his own life. The book does have a tendency to be dismissive of various U.S. institutions and traditions, certain presidents, and other public servants, and often with good reason. By way of disclosure, this reader too is a Vietnam Vet, and I, too, was astonished, as Maberry asserts, that the American people reelected Richard Nixon. Looking past this judgmental assessment, and reading this book with an open mind, and an open heart, reveals a path that perhaps many veterans of America's ill advised war in Vietnam might take. Five stars, and I don't do that often. Byron Edgington, author of A Vietnam Anthem. A Vietnam Anthem: What The War Gave Me
Life, Growth, Evolve
he author takes us on his journey from childhood where he lives through the loss of both parents and moves around different states, different jobs, Viet Nam war, where he shares his candid views and experiences through his struggles physically and internally. His mission to become successful in job and relationships becomes a driving force which keeps him motivated through adversity and rejection is an inspiration for many to take something from his journey. Mayberry's resolution to succeed finds him learning about Buddhism, which became the vehicle that propelled him to finding happiness, understanding of life, and solidifying a relationship with a woman who would eventually share the journey with him.
excellent journey in time and into one man's life
I'm apparently about the same age as the author and am always curious to hear someone else's experience of the times I've lived in. In this case, Mr. Maberry and I couldn't have lived more disparate lives if we'd tried. I don't think I could have survived Mr. Maberry's life and I appreciate his sharing the way his inner life as well as his circumstances have unfolded to this point. He survived things that have only scared me from a distance and he has achieved things I've only dreamt about from a distance. I'm so impressed with the way he has developed his life. I'm especially delighted to have read his account of his experience of the '60s and '70s, two decades I didn't fit into very well. Like Forrest Gump, Mr. Maberry made me re-evaluate that era in a more favorable light. In fact, this book made me re-evaluate a lot of things. Even if this were a big book, I would highly recommend it. It would be worth your time. But it's a small book and reads very fast. No matter what your own experience in life, I think you will find this book interesting and impressive, and it may just lead to a whole new life for you, a new awakening.
A passionate and poignant memoir written by a woman whose life has been guided by the words: "I am here to learn how to love well." The book is a deep examination of relationships, family, motivation, and honoring of the Self.
Sherlyn Powell opens up about her love and devotion to her family and the overwhelming repercussion when communication breaks down. Heartbroken and distraught she learns to release her prayer and realize with faith God would reunite her family.
Asa D Seeley, a young Afro American man, shares his struggle to leave his past behind as he reaches for his future. In his one-of-a-kind style, he searches for answers...from the visible & invisible. A Memoir in Poetical/Prose form.
