Bluebird in Belgium

by John Luton

Into every life comes the bittersweet mixture of life and death, joy and sorrow, hope and despair. What makes the difference between a happy life and a miserable existence is not the ratio between... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595305911
• ISBN13: 9780595305919
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Heartwarming story

"This book has touched my life in letting me know how my Grand-daddy lived and past away. I feel blessed for having read this book." Mindi Luton

Inspiring Story of Family and Hope!

Bluebird in Belgium is a heartwarming and inspirational story based on the love of family, childhood innocence, and a young man's search for the real meaning of life. It is also a story of joyful encounters and painful separations. It evokes memories of a simpler place in time, the "good old days" in all of our lives. The book offers readers a real lesson in the culture of "country folk" who lived simply, honestly and lovingly as they dealt with the vicissitudes of daily life. In doing so, they left their children a legacy of sound values that would not only shape their lives but impact generations to come.Bluebird in Belgium by John W. Luton is based on the wonderful stories that a father told his children as they were growing up. It begins at a very painful time for the family: the death of the father, John Elwood Luton, during the winter of 1980. It was during this tragic loss, that the author found strength in "the miracle of memory." It was then that he allowed his father's vivid images to flood his mind and transport him to the time of his father's ninth birthday. The story progresses from that point until it ends right where it begins. The writer's storytelling technique, "in medias res," shaped the format of the tale much like that of Homer's Odyssey. Like the Odyssey, the story actually starts near the end of the narrative, flashes back to the beginning, and then goes all the way through until it reaches the starting point again.Bluebird carries the reader on a journey leading from the sweet potato fields of Northeastern North Carolina to the desert sands of North Africa and the snowy hills of Belgium. A magnificent segment of Bluebird describes John Elwood's sojourn in Belgium during the famous Battle of the Bulge. At this time, he met a Belgian family that helped to preserve his life. The great impact this little family would later have on his own family was nothing short of amazing. Even though Bluebird is a work of fiction, Luton shares that the storyline is about 99% true. Bluebird offers the reader an insightful peek at our shared experiences in the bittersweet mixture of life and death, joy and sorrow, hope and despair. It pronounces that the difference between a happy life and a miserable existence is not the ratio between good and bad, but one's determination to cling to the good in spite of the bad.If you're looking for a book that you won't be able to put down, then you need to read Bluebird in Belgium. You'll be glad you did!Dr. Barbara Johnson, Professor of Eduction, Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina)