What does Oscar Wilde have to do with this post? Everything. He is the inspiration for Paulette Mahurin's new book The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap.
Isn't it wonderful how book blogging opens up communication between the reader and the author? And my virtual encounter with this particular author has been fun (did you know we went to the moon together?) -- her outgoing personality just makes me smile! What a contrast with the seriousness of the topic she discusses here and in her book: that of prejudice and intolerance.
Thanks to Paulette, she is offering two Kindle e-books of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap to two lucky readers. I am so pleased to have you on the blog today!
What I Would Risk for Love
When John Fitzgerald Kennedy (J.F.K.) wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage
, in 1955, chronicling eight United States Senators in short
biographies describing acts of courage and integrity, I wonder what he was
thinking? What was it in the character of the Senators he wrote about to cross party
lines and do what they felt was right, ethical, despite great risks; loss of position, alienation, loss of financial security and home, loss of family, loss of health, etc?
When Viktor Emile Frankl, Australian Psychiatrist and author of, Man’s Search for Meaning, on 25 September 1942, along with his wife and his parents, were deported to the Nazi Theresienstadt Ghetto, I wonder what he was thinking? Where were courageous leaders then? Where was the honor to stand up and do right by millions of Jewish people and other outcast, including Gays and Lesbians?
History is replete with persecution; the Salem Witch Trials, the Roman Emperor’s persecution of Christians, Baha’is persecution since its inception, the caste system in India’s persecution of the Untouchables, persecution against Albinism, Gays and Lesbians, etc. The list of historical persecution, the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group, is endless, and continues today.
So rare are the heroes who step up and do right be another at the risk of their own life or limb that it makes for compelling stories when one occurs. Equally rare are the heroes who steps up for themselves, to maintain their own integrity of soul and heart. Oscar Wilde was one of them.
Wilde lived in a time and place, Britain, when sex with another man was deemed legally criminal, with prison sentence of two years of hard labor. And, yet he risked all. His own writing to his lover, while in prison, gives his thoughts and I quote and excerpt (from De Perfundis):
I hold Oscar Wilde in my heart, with every post I write, with every interview I do, with every spotlight of my book, or answer to a comment from a reader, and he motivates me to continue to try, to speak, to shine a light somewhere, wherever possible that tolerance may earn a place in yet another heart.
Thank you, my friend, Aloi, for having me here, for supporting my book, and being such a great friend to the indie community. We love you.
This is the story of what happened when the lives of its citizens were impacted by the news of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment. It is a chronicle of hatred and prejudice with all its unintended and devastating consequences, and how love and friendship bring strength and healing.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Isn't it wonderful how book blogging opens up communication between the reader and the author? And my virtual encounter with this particular author has been fun (did you know we went to the moon together?) -- her outgoing personality just makes me smile! What a contrast with the seriousness of the topic she discusses here and in her book: that of prejudice and intolerance.
Thanks to Paulette, she is offering two Kindle e-books of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap to two lucky readers. I am so pleased to have you on the blog today!
What I Would Risk for Love
by Paulette Mahurin
 |
| Goodreads | Shelfari Amazon.com |
, in 1955, chronicling eight United States Senators in short
biographies describing acts of courage and integrity, I wonder what he was
thinking? What was it in the character of the Senators he wrote about to cross party
lines and do what they felt was right, ethical, despite great risks; loss of position, alienation, loss of financial security and home, loss of family, loss of health, etc?When Viktor Emile Frankl, Australian Psychiatrist and author of, Man’s Search for Meaning, on 25 September 1942, along with his wife and his parents, were deported to the Nazi Theresienstadt Ghetto, I wonder what he was thinking? Where were courageous leaders then? Where was the honor to stand up and do right by millions of Jewish people and other outcast, including Gays and Lesbians?
History is replete with persecution; the Salem Witch Trials, the Roman Emperor’s persecution of Christians, Baha’is persecution since its inception, the caste system in India’s persecution of the Untouchables, persecution against Albinism, Gays and Lesbians, etc. The list of historical persecution, the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group, is endless, and continues today.
So rare are the heroes who step up and do right be another at the risk of their own life or limb that it makes for compelling stories when one occurs. Equally rare are the heroes who steps up for themselves, to maintain their own integrity of soul and heart. Oscar Wilde was one of them.
Wilde lived in a time and place, Britain, when sex with another man was deemed legally criminal, with prison sentence of two years of hard labor. And, yet he risked all. His own writing to his lover, while in prison, gives his thoughts and I quote and excerpt (from De Perfundis):
When first I was put into prison some people advised me to try and forget who I was. It was ruinous advice. It is only by realizing what I am that I have found comfort of any kind. Now I am advised by others to try on my release to forget that I have ever been in a prison at all. I know that would be equally fatal. It would mean that I would always be haunted by an intolerable sense of disgrace, and that those things that are meant for me as much as for anybody else – the beauty of the sun and moon, the pageant of the seasons, the music of daybreak and the silence of great nights, the rain falling through the leaves, or the dew creeping over the grass and making it silver – would all be tainted for me, and lose their healing power, and their power of communicating joy. To regret one's own experiences is to arrest one's own development. To deny one's own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one's own life. It is no less than a denial of the soul.Wilde risked not only out of courage but also for love, not just for his lover but also for his own life that he would continue to live authentically. He risked and we, who read his words and learn of his story, gain a richness that men/people like this walked/walk the earth to shine a light on the courage to love, the courage to be, what we were born to be, that we can no more change than a dog can not bark, than a leaf can not take in carbon dioxide, or the sun can not illuminate, all things in their natural place, created out of mystery, to be what they are.
I hold Oscar Wilde in my heart, with every post I write, with every interview I do, with every spotlight of my book, or answer to a comment from a reader, and he motivates me to continue to try, to speak, to shine a light somewhere, wherever possible that tolerance may earn a place in yet another heart.
Thank you, my friend, Aloi, for having me here, for supporting my book, and being such a great friend to the indie community. We love you.
***
About the Author
Paulette Mahurin, an award-winning author, is a Nurse Practitioner who lives in Ojai, California with her husband Terry and their two dogs--Max and Bella. She practices women’s health in a rural clinic and writes in her spare time. She and her husband have been involved in dog rescue for the past 28 years. All her profits are going to dog rescue.
Goodreads | ShelfariAmazon.com
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Synopsis:
The year 1895 was filled with memorable historical events: the Dreyfus Affair divided France; Booker T. Washington gave his Atlanta address; Richard Olney, United States Secretary of State, expanded the effects of the Monroe Doctrine in settling a boundary dispute between the United Kingdom and Venezuela; and Oscar Wilde was tried and convicted for gross indecency under Britain’s recently passed law that made sex between males a criminal offense. When news of Wilde’s conviction went out over telegraphs worldwide, it threw a small Nevada town into chaos.This is the story of what happened when the lives of its citizens were impacted by the news of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment. It is a chronicle of hatred and prejudice with all its unintended and devastating consequences, and how love and friendship bring strength and healing.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
(If you are having problems with the Rafflecopter, please leave a comment/question along with your email address in the comments section.)
More information here:
- Connect with Paulette Mahurin on Twitter
- The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap: Official Website | Facebook | Blog
- Ojai author's historical novel teaches tolerance, benefits animal rescue [Article in Ventura Country Star]
- Profits from book sales go to Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center
- Check out my Friday 56 / Book Beginnings post for some excerpts
I loved my last visit here and wanted to come back, to thank my wonderful and yes, fun, new friend, Aloi. Please anyone reading this, feel free to ask any questions or comment, enter the conversation, and by all means connect with me on facebook or my blogsite.
ReplyDeleteWishing every very Happy Holidays.
Paulette
Looks so interesting! I can't wait to see how much it's worth the read. If your a good enough author to bust like great!
ReplyDeleteI love your comment anonymous. I accept the challenge, with humility and gratitude for even having the opportunity. Thank you!
DeleteI would like to thank you for a fantastic book giveaway, that i would love to have the oportunity of reading and reviewing! Thank you for this chance. x
ReplyDeleteEmail: lfountain1(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk
*GFC Follower: lfountain1
apologies not on Facebook
Thank you Miss. Lucinda Fountain. I'll get in touch with you.
DeleteHow can one not be inspired by Wilde. Paulette Mahurin is also a very charismatic and inspirational person. I thoroughly recommend her book to anyone who loves a good read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kerry Dwyer! Coming from you, whose writing I love, is quite an honor.
DeleteThanks for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Rachel.
DeleteLooks so interesting! I can't wait to see how much it's worth the read. If your a good enough author to bust like great!
ReplyDeleteI recently saw this cover on another blog, but this is my first time hearing about the book. It sound like a fascinating book. Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDelete~Jess
Hi DMS, thanks for your comment here.
DeletePaulette
Thanks for stopping by and letting me know about your giveaway.
ReplyDeleteStories like this make me thankful to be living in times much more enlightened than of old.
Thanks for this comment. That's so true about the times we live in. At least now, some of the battles can be fought openly.
DeleteThis book sounds really interesting and touching. Would love to read it and am definitely putting it on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carola.
DeleteThis looks like a very interesting read. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you, William. My pleasure to do the giveaway. Paulette
DeleteAnd, the same to you, danw, and every one else.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post and bless you for being involved in dog rescue for 28 years! I am a dog lover myself and ALWAYS adopt from a shelter. I could read and reread this post it's so good. I am always blown away by the things people do for love. There is not one person that couldn't spend an evening telling these tales, some touching, some terrifying. Thanks for this thought & emotion provoking post. I can't wait to read The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap!
ReplyDeletePaul R. Hewlett