Perhaps when Charles Dickens wrote “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” he intended to foreshadow the life of Hunter Vaughan, a colleague, and a newly published Milwaukee author.
Vaughan has just released his first book: Observations of the Coral Reef on March 23.
While the book has little to do with politics and actual under sea life, there is quite a bit of irony. The book itself contains very little political rhetoric and remains rather neutral, showing disdain for politicians on both sides of the fence.
“Some of us know the Republicans are horribly wrong in their beliefs and some of us know the Democrats are horribly wrong in their beliefs,” Vaughan writes early on in the book.
But, according to Vaughan himself, the book’s release was inspired in part by today’s political climate.
“I wrote the book because I felt I had something to say. Interestingly, the political scene these days added some urgency to my efforts,” Vaughan said during an exclusive interview Thursday morning.
And, perhaps even more ironically, despite any sexist commentary in the book itself, Vaughan has a very different personal political view.
“Just look at Santorum and his ilk. They’re launching a full, unabashed frontal assault on women’s reproductive health rights. If they’re not pushing a return to the dark ages, they’re at least trying to set the world back to the uptight, dogmatic, witch-hunt 1950s that Kerouac railed against,” Vaughan said.
Vaughan, a pen name, casts off conventional wisdom welcoming the gift of living in the present moment with free-thinkers using “intelligence and a focused awareness as the compass that guides us on the journey of life.”
At times, Observations of the Coral Reef depicts intellectual edginess at its finest, but at others it is filled with heartfelt and soulful confessions. The book is a healthy mixture of pure wit, humor and sobering life lessons philosophical enough likely to strike at a raw nerve in each and every one of us, as reviews on Amazon.com have so eloquently stated.
Vaughan’s provocative book turns very personal while describing his love for spirituality, the opposite sex, bouts with anxiety, depression, alcohol and professional stressors.
He makes no secret of his admiration for the female gender and how crossing this line while married has tested but ultimately made his marriage and love for family even stronger.
Vaughan’s discussion of his company’s fiscal challenges and bonding with his colleagues through business travel adds an entirely different dimension to the book showing how his peers admire and respect him on both a personal and professional level. Not to mention, the nuances he highlighted between two well-known Texas cities, Dallas and Houston. You’ll have to pick up a copy to fully understand.
Finally, and not to forget all of the talent that went into this creative endeavor, Vaughan acknowledges the fine work of his editor Sir Richard Yake and the creative cover design developed by another colleague, Emily C. Hawkins.
At a sale price of $6.95, it sure seems like a pretty good investment.
As of March 28, copies were still available on Amazon.com.
Vaughan is also embracing social media – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hunter-Vaughan/393572720658808
And, as of April 1, excerpts (page images) are now available http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/1470007894/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_2?ie=UTF8&index=2
Grade: A+
Rating: *****
Please take note that the viewpoints expressed in Observations of the Coral Reef do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Milwaukee Magazine or Schu’s Crossing.
Update:
Vaughan said April 25 in a follow up interview that he has also partnered with Amazon’s “Look Inside” program, allowing readers to view portions of the book on amazon.com.
Later this spring, a Kindle version should also be available, according to Vaughan.
