My First Book... the Beginning

In My Father’s Shadow is a series of short stories chronicling the life of the author’s father. In these stories the author has attempted to capture the essence of what his father taught his brother and him, the time they spent in play, and the life lessons which has left an indelible imprint. In point of fact, it is a story about all fathers. Most average men, very few leaving a legacy of great deeds, but through small acts of kindness, love, and favor are elevated to greatness. Its every man’s story. The story begins with his father in the early 1900’s growing up in Tidewater Virginia during the Depression years. We travel with him to his time in the Navy during World War II, and post-war years building a quality of life for himself and family. The last chapter brings us to his last days and gives the reader the opportunity to reflect on his life. Also included are historical references to the time in which his father lived spanning a period of remarkable medical, political, and socioeconomic significance.

From my shelf to yours. Pages worth turning.

The Man Who Mastered Gravity

Paul Schatzkin

“The Man Who Mastered Gravity” is a biography about a bizarre man, Thomas Townsend Brown. Brown a ne’er-do-well from a wealthy Ohio family eschewed opportunities to follow on in the footsteps of father and uncle to pursue a career in science. The work of Brown in the field of gravity and electricity is of a singular nature having grasped the power of capacitance to harness enormous amounts of energy. He is in fact the inventor of what is called the electrostatic pendulum motor. It has no moving parts but acts as a fan and amplifier. It never amounted to much, but was marketed by the Sharper Image in their catalog for a number of years as a motorless fan. A novelty, but not particularly practical. However, some would argue that it provided proof of Einstein’s ‘unified field theory’, something Einstein was unable to do in his own lifetime.

Brown convinced that his invention ultimately could power all sorts of vehicles, land, air (e.g. UFO’s), and water, pursued this line of research to the exclusion of all other venues. It simply had become an obsession with the man. This is too bad, for a scientists measure of success is determined by the number and magnitude of seminal ideas which lead to discovery, and ultimately application. Based on this metric one would have to conclude Brown was not all that successful…modest at best. But this is where the tale becomes twisted.

Brown, through his scientific pursuits and short stint in the US Navy during World War II developed contacts with certain individuals of both means and power, which would lead to a life of clandestine classified projects operating in the shadows of intrigue and espionage. Most of these secret activities orbited his one-time invention. In point, aside from the clarity of his singular accomplishment, Brown led a life lacking any meaningful transparency. He cavorted with spies, probably was a spy himself, and recruited spies.

It is difficult to be certain exactly who Thomas Townsend Brown really was…charlatan, poser, genius, liar?

In fact, Schatzkin makes no effort to resolve these questions presenting what facts he was able to cull from conversations with Brown’s daughter (also Brown’s one-time lab assistant), also from a spy recruited by Brown, and the Freedom of Information, allowing readers to formulate their own opinions. Yet, this is what makes the book so intriguing. The man, Brown, is an enigma which I suppose is what makes spooks…spooks.

Really a very good read that I strongly recommend.