Of all of the storytellers I have heard who would be capable of
the monumental task of writing and recording an oral history of
the United States, Jay O'Callahan would be my choice. His newest
cassette, "Pouring the Sun" is a stunning installment in such an
effort. Not that Mr. O"Callahan has made known any plans to perform
such an undertaking as an oral history, but once you have heard
his earlier cassette "Father Joe" and then "Pouring the Sun" you
have a vivid, living mental picture of how it was to be in two of
the other times in "other" Americas. Through his heart, his voice,
and his writing, Jay O'Callahan has some inexplicable but tangible
and powerful tap into the racial unconscious giving his storytelling
a primal force that can make the hair on the back of your neck stand
up, even when he is recounting something apparently commonplace.
(I would NOT want to hear him tell a ghost story around a campfire
on Halloween!)
"Pouring the Sun" tells the story of an immigrant family whose lives
are centered around work in the steel mills of Bethlehem, PA in
the 30s and 40s, centering on one Ludvika Moskal, who emigrated
here from Poland when she was 18. She marries a man who works "in
the steel" and her sons after him do the same - some try to leave,
others would never dream of it. The story of Ludvika's family serves
as an archetype for many, many such families who built this country
one girder or brick or car of coal at a time . . . railroad men,
iron workers, sky-walkers, forgemen, fabricators . . . anyone who
labored and sweated to create these things of permanence that we
use today, though the men and their wives are long gone.
This cassette brings home the fact that after arriving in the U.S.,
many of the immigrants like Ludvika never saw their birth lands
again. The more one medicates on this sobering concept, the more
one realizes the powerful sacrifice all of the Ludvikas made for
their children and grandchildren. One's love of country is not based
upon how prosperous a living can be earned or how spendid the weather,
but much deeper and more personally intertwined. Imagine then, going
to a foreign world, leaving behind all that is familiar and comfortable
to forge a new future in the gleaming New World! Ludvika Moskal
carried within her Poland to this New World, and made it part of
her children's birthright, their heritage. Our country today is
powerful because so many great pioneer people braved the Great Unknown,
and often a dangerous journey, and brought their vision and courage
here.
Jay O'Callahan is a master of dialect and drama and he puts both
to strong use here, as he becomes the "Voice" of Ludvika. Lennon
and I listened to "Pouring the Sun" in the car on a long ride and
were spellbound the entire time. I want Lennon to understand firsthand
the living history of the U.S., of all the incredible souls who
have come before us - for Ludvika becomes a bright symbol of ALL
of our ancestors, named Leppert, Carey, Kumbalik - or O'Callahan.
After hearing "Pouring" Lennon has a clearer vision of the struggles,
trials, sorrows, joys and triumphs of his forebears and everyone
else's, and I hope he sees his place as the next in this long line
of great men and women. I strongly recommend "Pouring the Sun" as
a supplement to your American history curriculum for your child
12 1/2 to adult. For the same age group, I also recommend the aforementioned
tape by Jay - "Father Joe." ($10 audiocassette only) It recounts
the true story of Jay's uncle, a Catholic priest who was a Navy
chaplain in WWII. It is powerful, riveting and expands one's vision
of life. It is a must hear. Jay O'Callahan has 22 different story
cassettes in all. Be sure to visit his website to see the complete
line. We will be reviewing another of his excellent tapes in
the next issue of The Link, too!
November, 2001
Reprinted with permission
top of page
|
