"After all, the events which refused to fade from her memory had taken place a long time ago. But, with an anxious little shiver of anticipation, she realized it was something she had to do."
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Footsteps In Time by A. Michael Warrington Trafford Publishing
book review by Sheila M. Trask
A reader would be forgiven for approaching Footsteps with some trepidation. Billed as a collection of quotations, poetry, songs, and fiction compiled by an English grandfather, the book could easily be nothing more than a literary slide show of more interest to the presenter than the audience. Warrington, however, has pieced together a delightful patchwork quilt of personal memories, favorite sayings, folk songs, and short stories. This is not a crazy quilt, with scraps and patches thrown together in disarray. Humor is the unifying thread, and Warrington's delight in cleverness is contagious.
Who would expect quotes from Kierkegaard to follow advice from Dr. Phil? Warrington is no snob, giving equal time to Shakespeare's As You Like It and Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi. On one page, Jimi Hendrix reminds us that "knowledge speaks but wisdom listens" while W.H. Auden considers humankind with "We are here on Earth to do good for others. What the others are here for, I don't know."
Illustrations include the expected family photographs, especially of his beloved wife Helen. But he also uses historical photographs, line drawings, and cartoons to add context. The subjects he covers range widely, from Ann Landers to Medicine, and they lose nothing for being presented alphabetically. Short stories about a mysterious artist flow easily from a peek backstage at the filming of Casablanca to an analysis of the Irish potato famine. Warrington's own curiosity comes through in the fact that he chooses such a variety of subjects to celebrate.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review