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Cold Turkey Rage: Essays from a Midlife Echo Chamber, 2016-2021
"What was I supposed to do?"
That was the question that hung in the air after a middle school fight in 2016. He couldn't look me in the eye, still swaying and steaming like a boxer at the bell, telling me that his father taught him how to defend himself, that he had no desire to be a punching bag or a pushover. I wasn't his counselor, his coach, or his friend. I was his teacher. And I didn't have an answer. Or at least, nothing more than a common refrain, a platitude about turning the other cheek and walking away. Unfortunately, the world I was coming to know in middle age was a lot more like his, more hostile and hot-tempered than the world I kept teaching--and still teach--my kids to aspire. But it took me a lot of years, nearly half a life, to admit that I've been just as hostile and hot-tempered, just as unreasonable and impatient as the world I so often rail against. At times, despite every effort to remain hopeful and sane, I feel like I'm losing my steady mind.
This book and these essays are an attempt to grapple with that original question, to look back at our collective rage, at all those things we've been feeling, that I've been feeling, right or wrong, and find an answer. After all these years of being angry, what are we supposed to do now?
That was the question that hung in the air after a middle school fight in 2016. He couldn't look me in the eye, still swaying and steaming like a boxer at the bell, telling me that his father taught him how to defend himself, that he had no desire to be a punching bag or a pushover. I wasn't his counselor, his coach, or his friend. I was his teacher. And I didn't have an answer. Or at least, nothing more than a common refrain, a platitude about turning the other cheek and walking away. Unfortunately, the world I was coming to know in middle age was a lot more like his, more hostile and hot-tempered than the world I kept teaching--and still teach--my kids to aspire. But it took me a lot of years, nearly half a life, to admit that I've been just as hostile and hot-tempered, just as unreasonable and impatient as the world I so often rail against. At times, despite every effort to remain hopeful and sane, I feel like I'm losing my steady mind.
This book and these essays are an attempt to grapple with that original question, to look back at our collective rage, at all those things we've been feeling, that I've been feeling, right or wrong, and find an answer. After all these years of being angry, what are we supposed to do now?
477 pages, Paperback
Published March 18, 2022
About the author
Jeremy D. Lucas
13 books5 followersJeremy D. Lucas has been an active classroom teacher for more than a decade, serving elementary and middle school students across South and Central Florida since 2010. Following a degree in history and political science, he went on to earn a Masters in Library and Information Science from Florida State University, allowing him to double as an academic reference and research librarian through the University of Central Florida from 2013 to 2023. Jeremy has published nine books, three of which are directly tied to education, from teacher retention to family partnerships to the struggle for professional motivation. He and his wife live in Lake Mary, Florida.
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May 7, 2022
Jeremy Lucas’ meditations are a relatable look back at the most tumultuous and emotional years in recent American history. Equal parts personal reflections and historical analysis, this book is for anyone who looks back on the years of Trump’s presidency, a pandemic, and societal upheaval with a mix of anger, confusion, and somehow, hope.
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