Bates Books

One of the hallmarks of a good novel is an author's effective creation of drama.
If the drama is devoid of any emotional charge, the story will fail to captivate its readers.
First time novelist James M. Bates' novel, Flashes, is an excellent example of powerfully using drama to narrate a gripping story.
In this instance, the author pushes his principal character, Mickey, to the limit.
The charge is created from Mickey's struggle squaring off against his adversaries out in the world and within himself.

The novel focuses on a painful and tormenting series of flashbacks concerning a youngster's experiences growing up in the 1930s in New York City.
The story swirls with poignant detail recounting the hazards Mickey was forced to endure in order to survive. He is confronted with his father's abusiveness, an employer who exploits him, intimidating peers, poverty, the abandonment by his mother at a very tender age, and his struggles against competing values.

Cleverly interwoven into the theme of the novel is Mickey's recognition of the complexities of the world about him.
He is also aware of what a good life should be, as he remarks, "it was a good thing that sometimes I did have a better life for myself. That's the way living should be-just like it was with those people, the Kelseys."

To the reader, Mickey may be a hero, however, he does not consider himself one, but just lucky at being able to survive. He views life as a series of minuses and pluses, and you have to roll with the punches.

Minuses are painful, such as constantly moving from one apartment to the next without being able to make any real friends. Pluses are being liked by his peers and adults, treated with respect and kindness.

He also wonders how many kids grew up like himself- "doing those kind of things-lousy things-going like hell using up my nine lives-and only once in a while having some plus thing along with all the minuses."
All of this makes for a good read, especially when it is narrated within the context of the intricacies of life.

A test of a good book is whether it will stand up to rereading.
Flashes passes the test admirably, as the author succeeds in making his principal character dynamic and believable. Perhaps, even to the extent of teasing the reader that Mickey is not a figment of the author's imagination, but rather someone very close to him.

This review first appeared on reviewer's own site
www.bookpleasures.com

The author of this wonderful book was inspired by a simple, enlightening observation: life in the rain forests is in many ways similar to life in the sea. The author sketches the basic comparison in the early chapters, and in the later paints vibrant, engaging pictures of life in several communities: in the forest and the sea of course, but also in deserts, grasslands, rivers and lakes, even in the water-collecting cup of a tropical plant. He creates a picture of a network of life -- all forms of life in all communities are interdependent, and all categories (including "forest" and "sea") that scientists and laymen use to classify biological communities are arbitrary and artificial. He describes some of the strange creatures found in the transition areas between land and sea in order to show that the boundary between the two is no more than a man-made expedient; the boundaries blur as we observe the communities that have adapted to life on both land and sea. He ends the book with a thought-provoking chapter on modern man's role in nature -- words that will be close to the conscience of any thinking person.

Marston Bates obviously loved biology; reading this book I could feel the passion of a man who believed that his work was worth spending his life on, and that his life's work was worth recording carefully for other people. He must have been as passionate about writing as he was about biology: this is a well-written book. The rhythms of the prose echo those of the sea; the expertly-balanced sentences support his comparisons of seemingly disparate communities. This book is a treat for literate people, the kind of find that makes scouring the shelves of used-book stores seem like a sensible pursuit. Unfortunately, you may have to scour the shelves of several bookstores to find it, but if you can, get a copy of this jewel.

The author explores deeply and with unwavering sympathy a trio of contemporary characters intertwined in a thorouguhly modern situation: The wife discovers that her charming husband is involved in a relationship with another man and is so affected by it that she explores the possibility of finding a similar fulfillment with a woman. The events that follow will hold you spellbound. The author views her characters with deep understanding and compassion.

Bate is an outstanding critic and wonderfully clear writer. In this work he traces the great transition from Classic to Romantic Aesthetic. He outlines in his first chapter the principles of a Classical Art which aimed at the universally human. It operated on the basis that through Reason there could be attained a true grasp of Nature and the world. The Classical view however powerful and appealing gradually gave way to the more idiosyncratic, individual, Nature connected Romantic view.
Bate brings to the work a rich knowledge of the Art, Literature and Music of the time. An outstanding critical work.

If you are new to the self-help genre, this book is a keeper. Put it somewhere with easy access so you can review author Nicholas Bate's main points and implement his insights. Of course, like many self-help books, this one gets redundant at times. You'll loose track of how many times Bates exhorts you to pay attention. But maybe that's the point. With a prod or two from this book, you can become alert and ready to conquer each day's challenges at work and at home. We recommend this book to those who want to reshape their lives for satisfaction, happiness and productivity at work and at home.

I first read this in 1994 and was very pleased to stumble upon it again as I am now in the process of adopting an older child. The Bates family adopts two black girls in the 70's, after having two sons biologically. This book is a chronicle of their journey as a family and the issues that crop up along the way.

They deal with their families' reactions, racism in almost all-white Eugene, Oregon, and the ever-present doubts of their daughters. Do the Bates REALLY love them? Why did they adopt them and not some white kids?

For white people considering adopting non-white children and raising them in all-white towns, I really recommend you read this. The Bates come to the conclusion that placing non-white children with whites is probably not the best choice, but it sure can be made easier by living in a community with non-whites for classmates, teachers, etc. But they do advocate for all children having forever homes. If the state cannot find parents of the same race, then by all means, finding a home with parents of any color is the main priority.

This book also does a great job of showing how children adopted after infancy will have issues surrounding loss, trauma and abandonment. The author admits that post-adoption counseling would most likely have benefitted their family.

The tone of the book is overall upbeat. The family weathers issues that famlies of all colors tackle, but they come out with a positive attitude and no regrets on their decision to adopt trans-racially.

Back in the "bleeding-heart liberal" days of the early 1970's, good-hearted folks like the Bates family, writer J. Douglas and his wife Gloria, wanting to have another child without having another baby, chose to adopt a daughter -- one, and then a second -- without any conditions or preferences with regard to race. They could not forsee how their kind-hearted, thoughtful decision could affect them, their two sons, and the young woman their daughters would become. Lynn and Liska, two girls of color who never understood their place in this white family, both saw their situations in mirror images of the love that the Bates family shone on them -- while the Bates' showered them with affection, it only served to increase their fears that one day, for some reason, for no reason, they would be sent away. Their lives, especially their teen years, were spent in a perpetual game of "chicken," wondering just how far they could push their parents before the guillotine would drop and sever them from their family. In fact, while Liska was adopted to give Lynn a sister who looked like her, it only emphasized to Lynn that she could be easily replaced, and by a younger, cuter, more pliant child, with better hair.
Both grow up to be young women caught in a trap of unstable, dangerous relationships and out-of-wedlock children. But the Bates' never quite gave up on their daughters, and when faced with challenges that they never expected, reflectively wonder how they could have adopted black children without ever having had a relationship (or even a conversation) with any black person.
When in 1972 when the National Associations of Black Social Workers took a strong stand against transracial adoption, the Bates' were shocked, but unwavering in their belief that they had done the right thing. And contrary to the words of Spike Lee, the right thing for this family to do was to create an untraditional family, held together by an unconditional love.

"Gilded Spring" is the story of Kate and Adam Remington, a New York professional couple. Both have successful careers: Adam as a stockbroker, Kate as an advertising executive. But when Kate begins to show signs of endometriosis and her doctor suggests she get pregnant as a way of correcting the problem, Kate and Adam decide to start a family.

Kate gets pregnant immediately, but after their initial euphoria, problems and doubts start to appear. Each resents the large amount of time the other spends at work, and they also wonder what they're getting into by becoming parents sooner than they planned. It takes a near-crisis to set things right.

I enjoyed this book. The glorious background of a New York spring made a beautiful setting. My only complaint, (a small one), is that Kate's getting pregnant almost instantly seems a little unbelievable for a woman facing a fertility problem. Otherwise, it's a good story.

This is a biased review: My daughter illustrated the book and used my wife and I as the models. It is dedicated to us. If there were 10 stars I would check all ten! Amy June Bates is the best illustrator of children's books in the country. Possibly the world! :o)

This book was one of my favorites when I was a young girl. I read it over and over again. I would recommend it to anyone. it is a true story with many amazing things happening to Joseph Bates.