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eBook Edition
- 978-1-4602-6136-1
- epub, mobi, pdf files
- Keywords
- Paraguay,
- South America,
- memoir,
- family stories,
- Toastmasters,
- coming of age,
- missionary families
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Metamorphosis of Memories
Paraguay and Beyond
by
Berni G. Plett
Gustavio Wholgemuth grew up in the landlocked country of Paraguay. After traveling the world and settling down in Canada, he accepts that his life is what it is, a roller coaster ride of re-cycled emotions that will only end when mortality finally arrives. One day his daughter Julia requests that he should keep his promise and write down all the stories he used to tell her. Metamorphosis of Memories is filled with experiences that originate from innocence, life and death, love and pain, and the continuous struggles that a child of Mennonite missionaries deals with - accepting his community’s well intended, yet often misguided religious convictions. In these stories Gustavio informs us how he was liberated from prejudice and the condemnation of others by the fortunate encounter with science, and the even more fortunate marriage to his soul-mate Dulcinea. When we recall a life memory, we do not remember the original event but the context in which we last recalled it, which in turn changes the accuracy of any story. Reminiscing about our past is the metamorphosis of our history into colorful stories, stories that we all carry etched on wings.
Metamorphosis of Memories is a stunning collection of memoirs/short stories. The images are vivid, and the language is warm and compassionate without being overly sentimental. I went to bed with Gustavio’s voice in my head, and I tried tracking down Berni Plett’s Toastmasters speeches online so I could listen to them as well (I was delighted to find two of them — “The Problem” and “Courage [The Heart] to Speak Up” — on YouTube). Consider me a fan. —Danielle Voirol, Editor
Born and raised in the heart of South America, Berni Plett moved to Canada in the early 1980’s. After finishing two post-secondary degrees in Winnipeg, he traveled to Europe, participated in archaeological research in Israel, and eventually moved back to Winnipeg where he resides with his wife and daughter.
Contributors
- Author
- Berni G. Plett