The Magic of Ordinary: A Memoir

by Melissa Gouty

A heart-tugging memoir of a Daddy, his daughters, and the power of one good man to change the world… Melford Johnson is an ordinary man. He has an ordinary job, lives in an ordinary southern Indiana suburb in the 1960’s with his ordinary wife, and his three ordinary daughters. But Melford Johnson is also “Daddy,” a man who can capture magic in the palm of his hand, sprinkle stardust over every occasion, and would pull down the moon for his three little girls just so they could bask in its glow. As seen through the adoring eyes of his daughter, Missi, Daddy takes the Johnson family on hilarious family adventures. But he also faces challenging situations with delivering his own baby in a tiny bathroom in the middle of the night, winning over a suspicious mother-in-law, and discovering—at his own father’s funeral—that he has a black aunt and an entire black family he never knew. Whether Mel Johnson is the daddy you had or the daddy you only wished you had, you’ll find yourself falling under his spell in a story that perfectly captures a time when innocence could still grow into optimism and love was all you needed to make magic and turn the ordinary into the extraordinary… “Melissa Gouty writes the magical story of all our lives in The Magic of Ordinary . If you grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, this is an Our Town for our generation.”—Teresa Medeiros, New York Times bestselling author

Genres: Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2020

About the author

Melissa Gouty is an award-winning teacher, speaker, and entrepreneur who’s been putting words together since she could hold a pen and making friends with book characters since she could read. A long-running newspaper columnist, copywriter, and blogger, Melissa created www.LiteratureLust.com, a website for readers, writers, and thinkers with an insatiable desire for the written word.. Melissa recently turned her passion for writing into a full-time pursuit. Within nine months, she had given birth to her debut book, The Magic of Ordinary, a heart-warming, heart-wrenching memoir about growing up with a father who made life magical.

When she isn’t reading, writing, or spending time inside her own head, Melissa lives with her husband, Bill, and their dog, Ella, in a Midwestern country home where they garden, entertain, and love life. If they’re not there, they’re traveling the country in their camper having adventures that would

Reviews

[Pam Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading The Magic of Ordinary, your face will be stuck in a smile (even through some laughter and a tear or two). It’s a book that will calm your senses while the world around you is chaotic. A book that transports you to a simpler time (if you grew up in the fifties and sixties, you’ll delight in the memories). Most of all, a book that will make you wish that there were more Melford Johnsons in the world, because surely the world would be a whole lot better. And your smile will still be there long after you finish it.

[Nyla Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magic of Ordinary: A Memoir is a loving tribute from author Melissa (Missi) Johnson Gouty to her amazing father, Melford (Mel) Johnson. This nostalgic look of family and life in a small Midwestern town had me turning page after page. It was a bright, sunshiny smile on the face of a dark dreary day. You must read it and have your spirits lifted, too.

Author Gouty and I went to school together. She was one of my sweetest friends. So many of her memories mirrored my own. Even though our lives were vastly different, they were extremely similar. That’s what happens in small towns. They bring people together and give them common threads. I found myself nodding in agreement as I read this love letter. It is nothing less than beautiful.

I enjoyed the style that talented wordsmith Gouty uses in writing. Her story is transparent and brutally honest. There is a warmth to it. Readers will feel like they are chatting over a cup of coffee or at least, I did. It brought tears to my eyes at times, many of them from laughing.

There is a plethora of life and spiritual lessons woven throughout these exceptional stories. It reveals the working of a Christian family, a man of faith, how to appreciate nature, and how to simply enjoy life. The author proudly announces that she never recalls her father swearing or using rough language in situations when most men would. Can you do the same?

It is difficult to choose a favorite tale. I enjoyed them all for various reasons. There is just one place that I found myself uncomfortable. In one of the stories the author uses the crass term for feces. (Yes, I am a prude.) It is one of the words that my Southern Grandmother instilled in me (obviously) that a lady never says. I realize I am the exception now and not the rule, but it still bothered me.

I highly recommend this charming memoir to everyone. Baby Boomers will certainly relate to the references made. There are discussion questions in the back so it would make a nice book club selection. I give this a 5 out of 5 star rating.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful memoir that reminded me of my own Midwestern childhood and had me smiling, laughing, and even crying. Missi and her sisters were so blessed to have Melford Johnson as their father; we are all blessed that she has shared him with the world.

[Deena K Hadley]

I grew up with Melissa and this wonderful book took me back to those days.

Once I started reading I couldn't stop until I had finished.

[Jan Templeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clarksville Kid

Loved this book...as a Clarksville kid I remember the people and locations. I was quite fortunate to grow up in this small town !

[Ranjani Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story of growing up with siblings in a loving home where the father provides magic that turns ordinary events into extraordinary adventures. 

As a memoir writer and reader, in recent times, I have been disappointed with bestsellers which fall into one of two categories - a celebrity tell-all of a dysfunctional present or confessions of a regular person who describes a dysfunctional past often involving addiction or trauma. The former sells because of the person's public status, the latter because it is a well-crafted story with a generous publicity budget. 

Gouty's memoir does not fall into these categories. In fact, my initial impression in the early chapters - that it was a literary version of a TV show that I loved during the years I lived in the US, The Wonder Years - remained unchanged when I got to the end of the book. 

Nostalgic ride to a simpler time

Vivid descriptions of a simple American childhood spent riding bicycles in a neighbourhood where kids spend time outdoors playing games, swimming, and engaging with the community (a rare sight in today's digital world), made me envious and yearn for the 'good old days'. 

From removing warts on full moon nights with magic chants, to delivering her sister in their own home, Gouty's father, Melford Johnson, was not just the fun and handy 'Daddy' she knew but also a devoted husband, loving friend, and a cheerful person who told tall tales, sang with abandon, tended earnestly to a flourishing garden, and volunteered at church for years after his retirement.

His insistence that his daughters master three skills - typing (for employment), driving (for independence) and swimming (for joy) reveal a pragmatist in action albeit one who still held on to a phenomenal zest for life for eight seven years.

Primed to look for drama in the narrative arc, I kept my eyes open for a shocking scene or a twist in what seemed to be an ordinary tale of a happy family. I must admit that I was relieved by the absence of alcoholism, abuse, trauma and terror in Gouty's life. With her two sisters, Gouty's childhood which seems idyllic in many ways, is also a story that many of us who have had normal childhoods with responsible parents and supportive families can relate to.

Of all the little details that make the book come alive, my favorite was the epigraph of each chapter.  Some are quotes by well-known authors but others are excerpts from letters that Gouty's father wrote over the years, a touch that makes the book much more personal.

The universality of the human experience

While my childhood in India was very different from what Gouty has described, my parents followed the same philosophy as Gouty’s - “we-gave-you-wings-now-go-fly.” I could see glimpses of my father in many of the episodes, particularly when he supports Gouty's decision for a divorce despite his own experience of a long stable marriage to her mother. 

Gouty’s writing is evocative, honest, and free of prescriptive advice. She invites readers to relive her childhood and succeeds in highlighting the universality of the human experience that transcends many of the artificial barriers that we sometimes hide behind. 

Gouty’s statement - “In his (her father’s) mind, there was a kind of magic in being ordinary. Average, common people, not upper-crust, but not trampled on. Neither arrogant, nor despairing. Just people accepting who they were and what they had. Dealing with it and moving on,” are a true reflection of my thoughts. 

I laughed at the chapter about her father making not just a snowman but an entire family of snow-critters, and delighted in tales of her father’s adventures exploring sinkholes and caves with his buddies. The moving description of the last days of her father’s life made me teary as I thought back to the time I lost my father.

Why we need to believe in magic

Gouty answers her question - ‘what happens when equal parts generosity and kindness are mixed with abundant joy’ - with a simple conclusion, a person is born who loves doing good deeds.

Melford Jonhson was undoubtedly an ordinary man, but he was also a very special one whose authenticity exemplified a life of purpose, something everyone can aspire to be. The legacy and proof of being raised by a good role model lies in this unexpectedly satisfying father-daughter story that can make you believe in magic. 

I received an ARC of the book from the author at the end of a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. I could not have picked a better book to end the year on a positive note.

I highly recommend this book if you are a memoir lover. Have you read other feel-good memoirs that you would recommend?