Review of the Brown and White from the Mount Carmel Website

hERE'S THE BOOK REVIEW THAT WAS ON THE MOUNT CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL WEBSITE.

The Brown and White

THE BROWN AND WHITE

Jon Potocki '65 and Terri Stadler '65 review The Brown and White by Lawrence Norris's '71. This "fictionalized memoir" brought the alums back "home" and proved to be a thoughtful fictionalized account of life at Mount Carmel in the 60's.

Thomas Wolfe, the early 20th century author said, “You can’t go home again.” But both of us recently had a close encounter with the Southeast side of the 1960s in Chicago. We just finished reading The Brown and White, a “fictionalized memoir” written by Lawrence Norris, a 1971 graduate of Mount Carmel. We were so impressed with the author’s stories that neither of us could put it down. Because of its storied format and short chapters, we both finished it in a matter hours (and as John proudly proclaims, ‘not bad for a guy who was in the lowest section for all four years’).

The book was written about a student, the author, and his freshman year at a fictional all-boys HS, “St. Mary’s,” on Chicago’s south side (September 1967 to June 1968). The encounters he writes about between the upper classmen and the new freshmen included many experiences that many of us actually had during our first year at Carmel: being called “Bennies,” being the brunt of the upper classmen’s jokes and high jinx, etc. 

Although the book is a fictionalized account, most of us tried to identify every character in the book with someone from our first year at Carmel, 1961 – 1962. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago was and still is a special kind of life. 

The book takes its title from the brown and white school bus that the student rode and centers on the many experiences that he had coming and going to school in the turbulent late sixties: passing the (Aquinas, Mercy, Longwood, St. Francis, Loretto) girls who were waiting for their CTA bus, getting harassed by the residents in the “bad” neighborhoods that they drove through, all the while looking out for something or someone special passing by in a car. 

The book contains various “hooks” that caught both of us as we scurried through its pages. First, the complex and confusing social aspects experienced in the Chicago during the Sixties (i.e., race relations, assassinations, the Viet Nam war, sportpractices, football games and girls) contributed to the personal development of each and every student at the school in the book, as well as our own. Second, for many us, there was one person at Carmel who had a lasting impression on each of us. In the book, a guy named Willie, the bus driver of the Brown and White, was the adult who had a special impact on the author and the other bus riders. As an unlikely adult, he would have a major role in two of the students’ lives. Third, the portrayals of each fictional teacher triggered our own imaginations, trying to identify each of them. Finally, family played a major roll for the author and for us. Whether ours were a loving and thoughtful family or one filled with dysfunction, the book captured this critical element in the development of each of us. 

Finally, we both identified with the book’s main character in numerous ways. His freshmen experiences, in many ways, were our freshmen experiences. We think that anyone who reads this book will feel the same tug back to their freshmen year at Carmel. Mount Carmel High School, then and now, is more than just a school. It is what our society today needs: the challenges of pursuing hard work, following direction, obeying authority, developing right relationships among all students and teachers (regardless of race, academic capability or social background), and being presented with the opportunities to grow physically, mentally and morally/spiritually. The book is all about this growth for the author, and in turn, invites us to reflect on our own growth that we experienced at Carmel. 

Mr. Norris did a great job with his book. We believe that new students and alumni should all read this fine work. It will bring back some fond memories for many alumni and contribute in many ways what the brown Our Lady of Mount Carmel Scapular is really about for new students. If you work hard as a boy you will leave a man: Ready to think of others in a challenging world where inclusiveness benefits all, where Our Lady of Mount Carmel points us to her Son, the God who lives with us and in us today, just as we learned in the Sixties hanging around the Chicago’s south side. 

The Brown and White can be purchased on Amazon by clicking here.

The Irish Books, Art, and Music Program at the Irish American Heritage Center in 2018

Sporting Chance Press was at the Irish American Heritage Center for the IBAM event. I was one of the authors present and had a table with The Brown and White, Sports and Faith II, The 10 Commandments of Baseball, and my Saint Kevin and the Blackbird shirt.

THE BROWN AND WHITE

Great Quick Read

The Brown and White is my own story about a young Irish American boy in his freshman year in high school during the Chicago Troubles in the late 1960s. 

SPORTS AND FAITH II

The Sports and Faith Series are books that promote the good in sports. Sports and Faith Book 2 includes stories of current professionals and legends; spotlighted are teams such as Bob Ladouceur s De La Salle squad portrayed in the motion picture When the Game Stands Tall. Burke Masters (featured on cover), Matthew Lightner, and Grant Desme three promising athletes who decided on a role of lifetime service are spotlighted. McCaskey recalls the stories of those who strove to make the cut on and off the field.

 

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF BASEBALL

The 10 Commandments of Baseball is about the baseball principles created by the greatest Major League Baseball manager of all time, Joe McCarthy. McCarthy's Irish youth was troubled by the early death of his father and his parish priest convinced his mother that Joe should pursue his baseball dreams and go to college rather than jump right into the plumbing trade. 

Most of my books are available on Amazon. But click on the links above for more information.  

Saint Kevin and the Blackbird is an an 800 year old Irish story about the great saint. Saint Kevin went out to his small hut or cell to pray one day and he extended his arm out the window of the tiny building. A blackbird landed on his hand and the saint patiently left his arm outside while the bird built a nested, laid eggs, and saw them hatch and fly away. Seamus Heaney wrote a beautiful spiritual poem looking at what the saint might have thought and gave his reasons for the deed.   I was so enamored with it that I had the shirt made up.  Patrick McCaskey is a big Seamus Heaney fan and in our next Sports and Faith book, Worthwhile Struggle,  we include Saint Kevin's story and the Heaney poem. You can see the sweatshirt below, but send me your requirements at lmj.norris@gmail.com--it comes in men's sizes small, medium, large, 1X large and 2X large. All are gray  long sleeved and I had another themed shirt made up on another saint a few  years ago just for myself and I have worn holes in it--it's that comfortable. 

Saint Kevin and the Blackbird

Our latest Sports and Faith Series book is Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is Patrick McCaskey’s third book on Sports and Faith. Pilgrimage explores various Christian shrines and holy places popular with today’s trekkers and seekers. Awakened by modern fascination with places like the Way of Saint James, many athletes whose achievements are celebrated in this Sports and Faith book, have made pilgrimages part of their faith journey. The Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, Assisi, and several other places of interest and their origins are examined.

Author Patrick McCaskey has peppered the book with his own poems and narratives on all things McCaskey. The popular author’s poems and his own literary and papal pilgrimages are here. McCaskey shares personal episodes that readers will find simple, insightful, and touching.Pilgrimage shares stories of exemplary athletes and others who are successful in sports and life. These writings are often the product of the author’s efforts on behalf of Sports Faith International, an initiative that honors devout athletes and coaches. In Pilgrimage, some of those featured have left sports for religious vocations—a college volleyball star, an Olympic Speed-skater, and a professional (female) football player! Add to these, stories on coaches, teams, and athletes of all shapes and sizes, including some who have struggled mightily with their sport and their calling. Sports training as a metaphor for religious growth and is found throughout. Athletes train seriously for sustaining endurance, improving their skills, and maximizing performance. Many faithful Christians use such training to make a difference for the unfortunate, teaching young people, and working tirelessly for others. These efforts are featured.

Pilgrimage includes some stories you may not expect: The story of Lou Gehrig, the great Christian gentleman of baseball. EWTN sensation,Bear Woznick, devout Catholic, radio and TV host who challenges people to abandon themselves to God, and live a life in pursuit of God’s will in the boldest, most rewarding way possible. Then there is Mark Philippi, a nationally recognized Strength and Conditioning Coach and Power-lifting champion. Another story features West Point graduate and army officer, April Ortenzo, who is following her family’s example of service and sacrifice to others.

Pilgrimage is a well-rounded offering that helps readers on their own faith journey through the examples of many others. Some readers may not be able to make a life-changing journey across continents and oceans, but this book can give readers some insights and enrichment. For those seeking adventure and travel in their future, here’s a personal introduction.

Brown and White: A Different Time

Brown and White

The late 60s were a wake up call for Americans.  Civil rights, the war in Vietnam, the generation gap, changing moral values, civil disobedience, drug abuse and so much more.  But for the kids in my book, the brown and white school bus was their transport between the big changing world and their home turf. At the time, although many neighborhoods were changing radically, ours seemed secure.

About the time my story takes place, John Powers books on Catholic life in Chicago were best sellers.  Powers was able to take that life and hold up a mirror for us to see ourselves.  Powers world was pre-Vatican II.  He weaved ridiculously funny stories that boldly cast his characters.  Powers gave the community a sense of value as many things we valued seemed to be coming apart at the seams.

When I began writing my story over 40 years ago, I was very young and had an exaggerated sense of my understanding of life. Time has made me humble and in the Brown and White I stepped back and described what I knew. I hope people will appreciate it for what it is, and also understand it for what it is not.