Tenuous Tendrils

by Tom Corbett

Jeremiah Joshua Connelly is about to retire from his academic position at the University of British Columbia. He anticipates a small ordinary affair of conventional speeches, farewell dinners, and the usual parting gifts and well-wishes. Instead, his past visits him in unexpected ways. He not only confronts people from the mists of a distant era he thought long lost but also accepts some truths about himself. Over the next week, Josh Connelly comes to terms with who he really is, with a past he tried to avoid, and with the people he had run away from for so long.This work takes us deep into the scars left by a war that tore the United States apart in the 1960s and which left an indelible mark on many who lived through that turbulent time. While a work of fiction, the novel touches upon the real emotions and struggles that many young people endured during this conflicted period. It explores the inner turmoil with which they contended as they fought to make sense out of competing claims upon their loyalty. This was a time where easy answers were not available, where each young man and woman who cared about this country had to arrive at their own interpretation of events. Each had to decide the contours of their personal character and for what principles they would stand. Each had to articulate their own moral compass.Tenuous Tendrils is the story of one such young man as he journeys from exile and isolation to reconnect and embrace a life he thought long lost.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 6, 2017

About the author

Tom Corbett is emeritus Senior Scientist and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served as Associate and Acting Director for a decade before his retirement. He received a Doctorate in Social Welfare from the University of Wisconsin and taught various social policy and program evaluation courses there for many years. During his long academic and policy career, he worked with governments at all levels including a stint in Washington D.C. where he helped develop President Clinton’s welfare reform legislation. He has written dozens of articles and reports on poverty, social policy, and human services issues and given hundreds of talks across the nation on these topics. In addition, Dr. Corbett has consulted with numerous local, state, and federal officials on various poverty, welfare, and human services issues both in the United States and Canada. Among many other things, he has testified before Congress, worked with the Wisconsin Legislature on important legislation, and served on an expert panel for the National Academy of Sciences. His most recent works include The Boat Captain’s Conundrum, Browsing through My Candy Store, Ouch, Now I remember, and The Other Side of the World. Now retired, the author lives with his wife of 45 years, Mary Rider, and their lovable Shih Tzu dog, Rascal, in Madison Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Sarah Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's time to stop running from his past.


He was in over his head.  With the flip of a coin, he made a decision that would take him away from the people he loved and change his life forever.  A future unknown.  For Josh Connelly, there wasn't a real decision to be made, he had to escape.  He and his friends had tried very hard to fight the political injustice. What had started out as simple protests quickly escalated into illegal acts, acts that were going to land Josh in jail if he stayed.  So he ran. 

Now years later, on the verge of retirement, everything that he kept hidden about that time in his life is now coming to light.  Rachel, Josh's little sister, arrives in Canada determined to heal the broken bond between them and find that big brother she once knew.  Josh is a very guarded person, hiding behind his Irish wit, but knows at his age, he needs to let people in and make some changes. He has had several relationships but they were just on the surface; he has somewhat of a commitment issue stemming from a lost love. Can Rachel and Josh help each other to move past the hurt of their past and learn to trust others?  Will the finally both learn to love and be loved? 

Tenuous Tendrils, when boiled down, is a good book. I did find it quite wordy at times, and definitely quite political.  But it is the story of a young man who is rehashing his past and remembering every detail of his life that lead him to where he is today.  I truly enjoyed the more emotional parts of the book, the parts of rekindled family, the hope of love and future. One thing that struck me as odd was that while I was reading I had a hard time visualizing the characters, specifically Josh and Rachel, as older.  According to the book they are in, or approaching, their 60s.  The language of the book constantly had me thinking of them in a younger version, in their 30s or 40s. That isn't a bad thing, just a note.  I believe someone who reads this book should have at least a little interest in politics, or be able to understand and digest it. There is a lot of conversations centered about the politics of the time when Josh was growing up, during the Vietnam War. This book isn't for everyone, but is well written and suited for a more mature audience due to language and some sexual content. 

Happy Reading. 

[Susan Bissell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is well written about how a man from the 60's Josh Connelly who was a protester from the Vietnam war who did a few illegal activities that he could go to jail for takes off to Canada to get away from his life in the states and to start over always wondering if the FBI would come knocking at his door. Luckily for Josh, he had loyal friends who wouldn't give him up to the FBI no matter what was promised to them for a lighter sentence. Josh left the U.S.A. without a goodbye to anyone he knew even his family. His family is devastated which leave his sister Rachael lost and without the anchor, in his family, as he was the golden boy that could do no wrong. That left his parents at a loss, and no matter what his sister Rachael did it just paled in comparison, no matter how hard she tried to succeed, even as a gifted peds cancer doctor in the U.S.A. which lead to a lot of resentment for Rachael. Now 40 years later Josh is retiring from the academic life at a college university in Canada his past is coming back to haunt him. Hidden secrets are revealed as friends and family gather come together to celebrate his retirement, but does Josh really want to know how everything has turned out for everyone? All his past relationships with women had ended badly because Josh could never truly open up and really reveal who he really is deep down inside. As everyone comes together his past his relationships with friends and family come to a head as Josh learns how loved he was and how he was missed by everyone. He starts to mend a broken relationship with his sister and the women he has loved in his past to the friends he left behind from his youth back in the 60's.
The only problem I had with this story was the author used a lot of big vocabulary words that left me at a loss at what the characters and Josh were talking about, thank goodness for Kindle that you can highlight any word and get the definition that helped me somewhat. This story I think is more for people who are college educated or has a grasp of a large vocabulary.

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Vietnam war was a time of great loss and violence in world history. We more often than not read more about the men who were in the war rather than those who were stateside. Like with all war, it had a long reach with its devastation, turmoil, and overall mistakes. In this book, the author shares the story of Josh whom during the war made some choices that rule his world. He protested the war, not believing invalidity like many others. Because of that he got mixed up in stuff that could put him away. To escape the consequences he left for Canada. There he created a life for himself, leaving his old life and family behind.

He reinvented himself in many ways and cut ties off in more ways than one. now at the biggest point of his life, he's facing the reality he's running from. He's alone while celebrating a huge accomplishment. When his retirement comes he's visited by his sister who shares with him the devastation he left behind. He left family who loved him and wanted to make sure he was safe. The life he could have had hit him in the face and now is the time to come clean. Through mending his bridge with his sister he shares with her everything he has been doing over the last few decades. In my honest opinion, oversharing on occasion. Regardless, he is starting to feel free for the first time in a huge amount of time and it all comes pouring out. What he faces is the truth about himself, and the reasons his relationships have failed. Which has more to do with what he did originally, run away?
In the end, he's relieved if not saddened by his choices.

Overall I think this is a fascinating look at the other side of the war, the protestors, the relations that are left behind and how deeply the choices we make can affect us. It's well written and touched my heart. Well done!

[GrnEyed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an incredibly personal book on so many levels. I went into this not anticipating that it would explore the human condition so completely. I felt a kinship of sorts to Josh and his sister. It also explored their various love relationships throughout their lives. I was touched by the relationship between Eleni and Josh. Touched seems to be a key word for me after reading this book.
I appreciated how the characters were honest with each about how they felt about each other. Josh’s story of going through the motions of a relationship with a woman who he fell into a comfortable relationship with until the time she found her heart’s true desire. Josh and the rest of the characters showed how they different relationships impacted their lives.
There were other friendships that were touched on throughout the story. The characters talked about how the war had an influence over their lives, each person taking away something different.
Overall I found this to be an extremely touching and educational read. I had not anticipated how powerful a book about human connections could be between people. Perhaps, this relates to personal experiences. In any event, I highly recommend anyone looking for a touching read about interpersonal relationships pick this book up.