I received a complimentary copy of this book for use in my review. All opinions are my own. I am also pleased to offer readers an opportunity to enter to win a copy of this book from the book tour giveaway shared at the end of this post.
Quick Summary of Shivers & Signposts. Shivers & Signposts: The Journey Continues is Len Richman’s second exploration of a life measured out by a distinct rhythm of his own devising. Picking up where his first memoir, Raindrops Glimpses Moments: An Unconventional Memoir of an Unplanned Journey, left off, Richman shows in Shivers & Signposts that he still has much to do, and much to say.
Richman attacks life with uncommon vigour. Never motionless, he moves forwards - and sometimes backwards - suffusing each manoeuvre with unique energy…vitality and constant evolution.
Shivers at the thought of growing old, of becoming stale…occasional alienation and loneliness, Richman, is driven onward by “a pressing need to redefine and redirect his innermost self”, a self that he continually re-evaluates through the lens of modern technology, literature, theatre and film.
These are the signposts that guide him through his fascinating quest for renewal of spirit and self…Let us hear his decisive commentary on modern social and cultural mores, his unapologetic tackling of issues from racism to materialism to present-day psychoanalysis. Let us listen to the music of Richman’s own Love Song, about the love of a life well-lived – and still well-worth living. Let us be challenged, through Richman’s examination of his own life, to ask of ourselves: How should we presume?
-From the “Introduction” by Stuart Lubarsky, M.D.
Richman's memoir offers more than his life story. Readers meander through the thoughts and emotions facing Richman as he transitioned through the stages of his life--and learn just how those thoughts and emotions guided him on his life journey. The book doesn't follow a set format or pattern--it just follows the life of Richman from his memories. He shares the good, the bad--and even the trivial--as even some of the "trivial" moments held value to the man he is today--and the one he will become in the future.
Shivers & Signposts shares more than Richman's day to day life. Richman shares passages from books, quotes, and personal insights as he shares his story. The pages of Shivers & Signposts are well-written and flow well as the author presents his story.
Would I recommend Shivers & Signposts by Len Richman? I was expecting a more "chronological" story than the one Richman presented--but, in the end, the reflective style of the book served to remind me that our present is composed (daily) of randomly, resurfacing pieces of our past! Memories. Reflections. Recollections. This book isn't action packed--although the author did live a fulfilling life. It's written as more of a reflection on where the author has been--and the path his life has led him toward as he looks forward to the rest of his life. If you enjoy reading a life story in which the author shares ups, down, successes--and vulnerabilities--this book is well-worth your time.
Richman's memoir offers more than his life story. Readers meander through the thoughts and emotions facing Richman as he transitioned through the stages of his life--and learn just how those thoughts and emotions guided him on his life journey. The book doesn't follow a set format or pattern--it just follows the life of Richman from his memories. He shares the good, the bad--and even the trivial--as even some of the "trivial" moments held value to the man he is today--and the one he will become in the future.
Shivers & Signposts shares more than Richman's day to day life. Richman shares passages from books, quotes, and personal insights as he shares his story. The pages of Shivers & Signposts are well-written and flow well as the author presents his story.
Would I recommend Shivers & Signposts by Len Richman? I was expecting a more "chronological" story than the one Richman presented--but, in the end, the reflective style of the book served to remind me that our present is composed (daily) of randomly, resurfacing pieces of our past! Memories. Reflections. Recollections. This book isn't action packed--although the author did live a fulfilling life. It's written as more of a reflection on where the author has been--and the path his life has led him toward as he looks forward to the rest of his life. If you enjoy reading a life story in which the author shares ups, down, successes--and vulnerabilities--this book is well-worth your time.
Author's Bio.
Len Richman has a long history with the Thomas More Institute of Montreal: student, course designer/ leader, Board of Directors member, and Chair of the Accreditation Committee.
He holds a teaching certificate from McGill University’s MacDonald College; a B.A. from the University of Montreal (Literature); an M.A. in education from Concordia University (Outdoor Education), and a post-graduate Comprehensive Certificate from TMI (Culture and Identity Studies.)
Travel, work and field background continue in parts of Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, South Pacific, and Canada’s northern communities. An educator in the areas of literature, wilderness/ outdoor pursuits, adult learning programs, international and multi-cultural studies for decades, a “redirection” of interests after 60 resulted in his becoming engaged in the performing arts: acting, directing, producing and writing. He is presently associated with Quebec Drama Federation (QDF), Black Theatre Workshop (BTW), Advisory Board of Pointe Claire Library, English Language Arts Network (ELAN), Quebec Writers’ Federation (QDF), Playwrights’ Guild of Canada (PGC), and Alliance of Canadian Cinéma Télévision & Radio Artists (ACTRA).
Born, bred and residing in and around Montreal (his favourite city next to New York, Prague, Budapest, and Dawson City, Yukon), he and his wife have three sons who have provided almost “free entertainment” with six grandsons and two “bonus” granddaughters from six to twenty-six years of age. He hopes to maintain sharing his wondering and wandering from his previous book, Raindrops Glimpses Moments: An Unconventional Memoir of an Unplanned Journey, to the present Shivers and Signposts: The Journey Continues, and beyond.
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