This book is a compilation of the 3 stories that Nelson Mandela phoned me personally to say were 'Wonderful' at their publication in the year 2000. The stories are from the individual perspective of 3 children; one from South Africa, one from the Punjab in India and one from Falmouth in Jamaica. Each story provides an accurate historical background setting. Throughout my life I have always been fascinated by the cultures, customs, development and history of three countries from the other side of my world. The 3 countries are Africa, India and Jamaica.
The true test of any great nation is not what it achieves, but how it endures. Africa is a great nation and the endurance of its people over many centuries is a testament to their capacity to survive with dignity within an all-too-often cruel and intolerant world. For many centuries, the people of Africa experienced colonisation, enslavement, economic exploitation, apartheid, disenfranchisement, resettlement and segregation. Throughout these hardships they kept their faith in their beliefs, culture, traditions, religions and dreams. Many have written about Nelson Mandela, but I wanted to write about his dream; a dream which sustained him through three decades of imprisonment; a dream held by other tribal chiefs in the Africa of old and passed on to the next generation, like a baton until it eventually ended up in the hands of Nelson Mandela, who then gave it to the world. Nelson Mandela described this story as 'Wonderful'.
A Jamaican story from the land where the sun shines down on every man, woman and child in equal measure; a safe harbor where hope springs eternal in the hearts of all good people and where the river of respect runs deep.This story is set in Trelawney, sometime between 1950 and 1962. The story is one of three stories that Nelson Mandela praised as being 'wonderful'. I extend my appreciation to the honorable Royland Barrett, the Custos of Trelawney (Mayor), for the factual background information he provided about the history and development of Trelawney and its capital town of Falmouth. The honorable Royland Barrett acts as representative to the Governor General of Jamaica and her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.A special 'thank you' also to my dear friend, Mr Basil G. Smith, JP. Basil is a Jamaican whose love of the country and its people is matched only by his lifelong commitment to the educational progress of Trelawney children.In mid 2000, Nelson Mandela phoned and congratulated me upon the writing of my African story, 'The Valley of the Two Tall Oaks' and my Indian story, 'Indian Dreams Come True'. Both stories were published in the book entitled, 'Two Worlds-One Heart'. Shortly after, the broadcast of a TV item on 'News 24' referred to Nelson Mandela's praise of these two stories and identified me as the author of them.During 2000, while my family and I were on vacation in Falmouth, Trelawney, Jamaica, the hotel catering manager approached me after confirming my identity as the author whom Nelson Mandela had praised. He invited me to meet the Custos of Falmouth and some other Government representatives.I was invited to visit the 32 schools in Falmouth, the old slave capital of Jamaica and extended my period on vacation. I was then asked to write a story that could be identified by Falmouth residents as being germane to their historical background. As the vast majority of young Jamaicans sadly have one dream today: to leave Jamaica because of its poor economic prospects and to travel to the U.S.A for a better life and to earn an American dollar instead of a Jamaican dollar, I researched one area where the people of Falmouth came ahead of the people of New York.I learned that Falmouth, Jamaica had piped water before New York, America and this historical fact was the theme around which 'Bucket Bill' was anchored. Because the Falmouth schools needed basic educational resources in which they were grossly deficient (ie paper, pencils and books etc), and because I had for many years attempted to combat racism and promote a greater understanding between different cultures, religions and nationalities, I decided to engage in a project that assisted all these things in the most meaningful of ways.I researched the story of 'Bucket Bill', which I later discovered that Nelson Mandela also liked and declared as being 'wonderful'. I then arranged for a printing contact of mine to print off thousands of copies of the book at cost. I then identified 32 primary schools in West Yorkshire each to pay for the printing cost of 100 books (3,200 in total), which were shipped across to Jamaica and were sold within the 32 Falmouth schools for the economic benefit of those schools. I then entered into a liaison with the Minister of Education and Youth Culture of Jamaica and the Custos Of Trelawney whereby the pupils of the 32 Falmouth schools entered into pen-pal contact with the pupils of the 32 West Yorkshire schools who had raised the funding for the 3,200 shipped books.The Falmouth schools were able to restock with some vital resources and over 13,000 black and white pupils from widely different cultures were enabled to bridge any gaps of cultural ignorance via their transatlantic letter communication. I had to withdraw from this project sadly two years later after I incurred two heart attacks. Meanwhile, however, it did please me to learn that the story of 'Bucket Bill' would become a part of the Falmouth educational curriculum.
In writing 'Tales of Bernard', I have tried to provide the reader and all dog lovers with a taste of what it is like to be homeless. Through reading about the exploits of our hero, Bernard, alongside those of Boxer and his pack of stray-pedigree hounds, the story as a whole can be productively used as a 'discussion starter' in both home and classroom for the child reader. 'Tales of Bernard' can be enjoyed by any dog lover, whether they be child or adult as the central themes covered in the story embrace the many problems to be found in any society that experiences, abandonment, desertion, bullying and homelessness. Each of the dog characters in the book will be readily identified with by some child readers as they display behaviour and traits which are common to many growing children. The overall theme of the book is that whether it is bullying, homelessness or indeed any other problem of social and environmental conditioning, we all need to pull together to help each other win through.
It was the marked contrast between people who loved and the people who hated Christmas, which inspired this story. 'The Woman Who Hated Christmas' tells the story of one such person, Beth Malone. As a child of ten years around Christmas Day Beth's mother dies in childbirth along with the stillborn infant. Sickened with grief, her father becomes emotionally unstable, is committed to the psychiatric ward of a local hospital and commits suicide. Left on her own with two younger sisters, Beth and her sisters are taken into Care of the Local Authority. The family is forcibly separated and do not see each other again. Beth rebels. Her foster homes are firstly resented by her and then come to be gravely feared by her. The story follows Beth through her life, first in Ireland, then in the mills of West Yorkshire, then on the streets of Manchester and finally back in Ireland where the story ends. For Beth, the experiences of Christmas are ones she would prefer to forget. Enjoy
The Life and times of Joe Walsh' is Volume Eight in my 'Tales from Portlaw' series. It is a story of failed relationships, broken promises, unfaithful marriages, lesbianism, betrayal, murder and revenge. Joe Walsh is an only child whose father rejects her at birth. Her mother always dreamed of becoming a writer but her husband forbade such. Joe's mother is abandoned by a cruel husband and decides to escape her unhappy marriage in Ireland and begins life anew in England as an unmarried mother in the 1950's. Mother and young child come to Liverpool where they face discrimination as foreigners and being a single parent. Over the years, Joe's mother re-establishes herself, goes through a bogus church blessing to be identified as a married woman and pursues her long held dreams of becoming a writer. Estranged from her parents, Joe's mother finds true happiness once again in the arms of a friend's husband, before setting up house and home in Haworth, West Yorkshire.
The Last Dance' the story evolves around the love of ballroom dancing by widower Nancy Swales and the new dancing partner in her life, married man Richard. Both dearly have one aim, to win the 'All Ireland Ballroom Dancing Championship'. Nancy and Richard pursue their dream; even at the risk of Richard becoming paralysed for life. Through their joint love of dancing, both Nancy and Richard find love once more. However, their Championship Final leads to their 'Last Dance.
Kulwant is a girl who was born and reared in the Punjab, India. From being a young child, she has a recurring dream about the man that she will one day marry in the Sikh tradition. She is an only child and has a very happy upbringing until tragedy strikes the family and her father loses a leg in a landmine explosion. From there it is downhill for the family. Experience the trials and tribulations as Kulwant grows up into a beautiful woman and searches for the man of her dreams. It pleases me enormously that after writing this story and getting it published in the year 2000, that I received a telephone communication from Nelson Mandela who had been given a copy of the book by 'number 10.' Mr Mandela had read my Indian, African and Jamaican stories and described them all as being, ' Wonderful.
This collection of essays, offered in honor of the distinguished career of prominent political philosophy professor Clifford Orwin, provides a wide context in which to consider the rise of “humanity” as one of the chief modern virtues. A relative of—and also a replacement for—formerly more prominent other-regarding virtues like justice and generosity, humanity and later compassion become the true north of the modern moral compass. Contributors to this volume consider various aspects of this virtue, by comparison with what came before and with attention to its development from early to late modernity, and up to the present.
This is a love story is about a travelling Romany who visits the home of Lizzy Lanigan in Portlaw during the year of 1955. Lizzy is a newly-wed, who was married a mere three months earlier. The peg-selling gypsy persuades Lizzy to have her palm read for the cost of two shillings. The Romany fortune teller then informs Lizzy that she will give birth to a girl child within the year who will be named 'Mary'. Lizzy is informed that she will give birth to a total of seven children during her life, but that her firstborn will be a 'special' child, who, when her time comes, will also give birth to seven children, of whom the firstborn will be a 'special' girl, also named 'Mary'. The Romany also reveals that the Lanigan legacy of 'specialness' will be passed down for generations, providing that mother and firstborn maintain its secret. If the secret is kept as instructed, the Lanigan family will be blessed, but if the secret is told to another; the Lanigan descendants will be cursed!
Sleezy the Fox' is a book of four stories about the overarching theme of 'second chances'. On the surface it deals with the immigration of a married couple and their seven children into a strange country, the bullying of neighbours, the ostracizing of offenders from the community as a whole and the alienation that often exists between man and wild beast and beast and wild man! Each of us shall experience or perpetrate some wrong in our lives. At the critical stage of reconciliation and healing, it is vitally important that we are able to give others and ourselves the benefit of a 'second chance'. And if you are like I used to be growing up, you may need to receive a 'second chance' many times before you eventually get it right.
I grew up on my mother's stories. Although an Irish woman of small stature and imaginative mind, stories didn't come any 'taller' than those tales told by my mother. They would stretch the bounds of one's credulity beyond the realms of possibility, and yet, she always made me 'want to believe them'. Having been persuaded to return to writing, I decided to recount some of the stories told to me by my mother long ago. Being a person with my own imagination, I have taken the germ of her tale and elaborated it with the aid of 70 years of wisdom and a splash of literary licence to come up with the final result. 'The Priest's Calling Card' is about a Portlaw Priest who leaves his walking stick outside any house he visits as a sign of his presence there and with the clear understanding he is never to be interrupted during his home visits by any other callers to the house where he is.
Nellie and Nora Fanning are the 'Two Sisters'. In fact, they are the two most important sisters ever to come out of Portlaw. Their entrance into the world was as momentous as their influence upon it and as mysterious as their departure from it. They were two sisters with one mind, who in their later years dedicated their existence to preserve the life of Portlaw. The story of 'The Two Sisters' is William Forde's 66th published book and the 11th book in his 'Tales from Portlaw' series of romantic stories. It is a tale of love, struggle, adventure and deep mystery. It draws upon Irish superstition along with the sinister practices that existed in West Yorkshire hundreds of years ago. The story background begins in Portlaw, County Waterford, Ireland and ends there. In between, the story moves to Liverpool and then Haworth, West Yorkshire, England.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.