Timekeeper

by John Atkinson

"It's more humane to face a firing squad than a classroom, humiliated because of illiteracy. One is swift, the other leads to a lifetime of isolation and hardship. Timekeeper is my triumph over letters. Parts of my journey are no longer clear. Forty-eight years later, I have re-imagined events that seem most consistent to my memory. In 1959 ground swept under my feet like a starving man scrambling for his next meal. I'd fled a dysfunctional family in Virginia. I met many people along the way, but no one could compare with Chief in Oklahoma. He filled a void in me and taught me how to join together the many pieces of life. Chief wasn t surprised that I'd crossed the country at the age of fourteen. I was a big kid and had become hardened to the ways of the streets. Right away Chief understood why I didn't fit in. The main thing was, I couldn't read. He looked into my soul and saw the suffering I'd endured in the white man's world. He also saw into my future. Anyone with a lick of sense would ve been frightened of Chief, an old medicine man with strange powers. But after everyone else had given up on me, he saw how I could help myself. At first I thought he was foolish as a fish flopping on a riverbank when he said I should go north to a place he'd visited as a boy. Hell, that was back before we had automobiles. But he said I would go with a great power. I couldn't imagine where the power would come from. I thought it had to be a strong car, a big Buick Road Master. Every boy my age wanted a car. But the old man gave me a name, Timekeeper. I was no longer Johnnyboy, the affectionate name my Mama had called me. But the gift of the new name stayed a mystery for forty-eight years, the time it took me to figure out Chief's predictions. For all those years I've searched for his meaning, and now I know."

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique coming of age novel about a 14-year-old boy who leaves an abusive home. When he meets a man named Chief, who names him Timekeeper and tells him he must climb the sacred mountain for a vision about who he is, the book becomes a pure rush toward's self discovery and transformation. A wonderful read.

[Cheryl Alsippi · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Atkinson’s Timekeeper is a great read! Johnnyboy, an illiterate and misunderstood 14-year-old, leaves home to escape the wrath of his abusive father. Spiritually drawn to the West through his mother’s Cherokee bloodline, he meets up with Chief who teaches him through vision quests how to find his true path. He travels from state to state accompanied by Check, a wild dog, and learns about unconditional love and their connection through the universe. From this day forward, when the Autumn winds brush my skin, carrying with them the whispering spirits, I will be reminded of Johnnyboy.

[Ann Sale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating new author with a sequel already written. This book should appeal to everyone - it's real and beautifully written and I defy you to find a more fascinating struggle. John Atkinson teaches us we can overcome anything. He also reminds we our interest in and influence on others can be life saving. Don't miss this one!