The Goose Drank Wine

Description

Triumph Over Adversity: A Tale of Hope, Perseverance, and Self-Discovery Amidst Poverty and Illiteracy in Appalachia. A Journey from Despair to Enlightenment.

This book, The Goose Drank Wine, is a poignant narrative that delves into the life of an Appalachian Irish child, born into a world of abject poverty and illiteracy. It is a compelling tale of survival, resilience, and the power of imagination. The protagonist, despite his bleak circumstances, dares to dream of a better future, creating a fantastical realm where everything aligns with his vision of an ideal world.

The narrative unfolds as a battle between two worlds – the harsh reality of his existence and the utopia he conjures in his mind. It’s a struggle between entrenched ignorance and the thirst for knowledge, between stagnation and progress. The protagonist’s journey is a testament to the human spirit’s indomitable will to rise above adversity.

The story is a beacon of hope for those grappling with life’s harsh realities, demonstrating how external influences can shape our life’s path. It underscores the possibility of breaking free from the shackles of illiteracy, violence, drug abuse, ignorance, and destitution. It is a tale of triumph against all odds, a testament to the power of education and forward-thinking as the protagonist’s escape route from his dire circumstances.

The Goose Drank Wine is more than just a story; it’s an exploration of the human condition and the power of self-belief. It illustrates how we can shape our reality through the power of our minds, embodying the best version of ourselves despite our upbringing. It’s an inspirational tale of growth, self-discovery, and the relentless pursuit of a better future.

The protagonist’s journey from the impoverished mountains of Appalachia to the bustling city, where he becomes an enlightened outcast, is a testament to the transformative power of education. It’s a story of a young boy who, despite the odds, carves his path in life, finding solace in knowledge and enlightenment.

The Goose Drank Wine is a stirring narrative that will resonate with readers, offering a glimmer of hope and a testament to the power of perseverance. It’s a journey from despair to enlightenment, a triumph over adversity.

EVERYTHING in this book happened to me, by me, for me, or against me, from the magical to the maniacal and then the imaginary, except all the things that didn’t.

I was born at home on the side of a mountain in deep Appalachia in a sub-poverty.

Relatives really did confiscate my siblings. I should say my partial siblings were tri-racial, some of which are classically thought of as Melungeon. We were tri-racial, tri-ethnic, tri-cultural, and triple abandoned, disrespected, and Alone, alone like Edgar.

Digging and gleaning coal from abandoned mines and slate dumps, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no reliable source of daily food were all accepted as just the way it is.

A rusting pot-belly stove served double duty. What little food rose to the surface was cooked there with a kindling and coal fire inside it. The stove also was the centerpiece of a makeshift bedroom floor for six partially clad children huddled as one for warmth and yearning to be loved.

I really did escape to the big city and grew up in a government housing project in an environment of family prostitution, family homosexuality, family drugs, family gangs, family alcoholism, and overt metastatic ignorance and illiteracy. The people and places are all real except all the ones that never existed.

There is a perception of my being an isolated outcast, unapproachably ALONE, that persists even to this day. My three dialects each reliably offend, like Poe’s demon in the Cloud formation from two hundred years earlier, making me the auteur choreographer.

Each dialect validated bias, prejudices, and avoidance harbored against me. I always isolated somebody who wanted to refrain from prolonged contact. It operated as a pseudo-Melungeon language effect to place an immediate barrier at levels of progress or regression.

I really did escape through education by becoming both a dentist and a pro bono lawyer as well as remaining an embarrassment to the family. With those two professions, a patient once asked if I wanted everyone to hate me.

I love this story of overcoming all the odds. What and who I love, I also love silently, secretly, and alone, as Poe mentions above.

I experience forgiveness in absentia.

The worst battle is still against ingrained ignorance, ennui against xenophobia, education, and inbred apathy and submission to the constancy of that hegemony.

Talking in that dialect, you can get a hint as to why I am an embarrassment to the shrinking family to this day. They retain their original mother tongue.

The language in this book may be off-putting to some, not because of its vulgarity but because of the variety of real-life dialects and vocabularies common to many levels of society.

The mother tongue of one group is the nonsensical gibberish to another. Mountain Geechee, Irish ghetto brogue, and patois of the hyper-educated intermingle but don’t intermarry.

All carry their bigotries against the others, all being unacceptable to someone.

These are dialects and common languages I revert to as a first language to this day.

I frequently draw back into that, speaking and thinking as if my time on vernacular work release is over. There is a beautiful story of loss and redemption woven within and without.

My hope is that you will recognize various dialects using the Glossary vocabulary explanations in Italics by Chapter and enjoy the intentional application this story requires.

Attorney, Dr. Ralph Toombs