“We need more like John telling us it’s OK to be who we are rather than focusing on who we are not.” Sandra Mahr, ordinary average citizen
Who is he? After ten years piloting a sternwheel paddleboat to pay for his higher education, then moving to the United Arab Emirates after the Gulf War, then teaching local women computers and math for 14-odd years, then retiring at 44 with his Canuck girlfriend to a mountain in Ecuador, John’s a guy with even more stories than he had before.
Does this small-town boy from humble beginnings live in another reality? Yes, after realizing at an early age that if he lived a life like most everyone, he’d get a life like most everyone. John wanted something different. John got something different, and then some, and then some more. His unique perspective on life will leave you enlightened.
From his earliest memories to his latest doings, in MISFIT 2, the second book in the series, John recounts 36 more of his make-you-laugh, make-you-cry, make-you-think stories. Like jigsaw puzzle pieces, as you continue putting them together, you’ll see more of the big picture, the story of John’s life unexpected.
Mister John presents these tales out of chronological order, and often without context or connective tissue, which initially makes the far-flung peregrinations hard to track: readers are whisked from his time as a teacher in the United Arab Emirates to his stint as a boat pilot and tour guide in his native Wisconsin to a Canadian crabbing expedition with his wife's family, all without much fanfare or preparation. The subject matter is mostly humorous but can also be serious; one chapter briefly and effectively deals with the unexpected death of his future mother-in-law, early in his relationship with his then-girlfriend.
Not every story here feels essential—an account of kicking a UAE student out of class for playing computer games, for instance—and Mister John's style can be overly elliptical, with one chapter about a favorite professor opening with the teacher lightly mocking the author’s hat. But overall, each brief essay provides an enjoyable window into John's experiences, and readers will finish this entry eager for more. As Mister John writes: "I purposely don't tell you what the big picture, the story of my life unexpected is… I want you to figure out how the pieces fit and what they mean, freeing you to find your answers."
Takeaway: Humorous essays exploring one man’s charming and unusual life.
Comparable Titles: Maeve Brennan’s The Long-Winded Lady, Jenny Allen’s Would Everybody Please Stop?.
Production grades
Cover: C
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
