Overview

An expatriate son's intimate memoir and tribute to his mother The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me traces the trials, tribulations, and unbreakable bond of two Pacific Northwest characters. Kay Schlinkman grows up on the banks of the Columbia River in the 1930s and 1940s. She overcomes a small logging town's ostracism in the late 1950s for her divorce, excommunication by the Catholic Church for remarrying, severe criticism and rejection for defending her son's refusal to go to war, and the burden of paying off her second husband's gambling debts. In her forties, she becomes a licensed pilot and flies two summers as a forest fire spotter. After a second divorce in her fifties, she takes night classes to become qualified as a legal secretary and continues to work until she's seventy-eight. After an idyllic childhood in the redwoods and a rebellious adolescence following his parents' divorce, Robert Norris enters the Air Force, becomes a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, is court-martialed and goes to military prison, embraces the counterculture upon release, wanders the world in search of his identity, and eventually lands in Japan, where he finds his niche as a university professor, spends two years as the dean of students, and retires as professor emeritus. Despite their separation by the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Robert and Kay maintain a lifelong commitment of love, respect, and support that enriches both their lives. Kay visits Japan eight times. Robert, his wife, and Kay journey to Ireland to trace her father's roots. The Good Lord Willing provides a heart-warming example of how far a mother and son can go in maintaining their bond against great odds. A must read for all mothers and sons, and for those who've wondered what the road less traveled would've been like, had they taken that first step.

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A most impressive achievement by a highly talented writer ... an emotionally powerful memoir that spans nearly a century and several continents. Riveting and rich in detail with passages that evoke Hemingway and Maugham .... You come away from this book with gratitude to the author for having written it and respect for a life well lived. -Robert Whiting, author of Tokyo Junkie, Tokyo Underworld, and You Gotta Have Wa Robert Norris's deeply personal story of finding his conscience when ordered to Vietnam is told here with direct, powerful prose. An important, fascinating read. -David Zeiger, documentary filmmaker, director of Sir, No Sir A wide-ranging, fascinating ramble of a tale that has you rooting for the characters every step of the way .... [It] invites you to reflect on American culture, family, duty, home, and what it means to live a full life. -Rosa del Duca, author of Breaking Cadence: One Woman's War Against the War A sweeping epic of a memoir ... a snapshot of a significant slice of history. Norris writes his vast narrative with clarity and thoroughness. -Alan Samson, retired journalist and author of Me. And me now: A 1970s' Kiwi Hippie Trail Adventure Heartfelt and ever-alive, inspired by a constant wonder with all the world can offer. -Sharif Gemie, co-author of The Hippie Trail: A History A bumpy, coming-of-age tale set in the logging country of the Pacific Northwest ... transforms an alienated young man into an expat and ultimately an emeritus professor in Japan. Robert W. Norris crafts the stages of this extraordinary journey in a narrative style that is both graceful and seamless. -Michael Uhl, author of Vietnam Awakening and The War I Survived was Vietnam

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