ORDINARY PEOPLE,
EXTRAORDINARY LIVES
by
Naguib Sami Kerba
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Non-fiction Photo Biographies
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SYNOPSIS:
Everyone
has a story. A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes one needs words
as well. ‘Ordinary people extraordinary lives,” does just that. I’ve combined a
portrait with asking people four thought provoking questions about themselves.
The portrait and their answers are a compelling read about life, its challenges
and each individual’s journey. At the end of each chapter, each person makes
one final observation learned from their journey.
READ AN EXCERPT:
At some time, you reached a fork in the road. At that time,
it didn’t feel like it, but looking back, you realize it was a big moment. One
that changed your life. Describe yours.
Bob: I aspired to become a Catholic priest from a young age.
To pursue this, I entered Regina Mundi Minor Seminary in ninth grade. By the
end of eleventh grade, I decided to attend a regular high school for two years
before moving on to the senior seminary. On Friday, November 18, 1966, while
skating at the arena in Windsor, I ran into a guy I knew from Regina Mundi who
had left after ninth grade. While skating, we noticed two girls watching us
from beyond the glass. After introductions, we returned to skating, and the
girls went to the dance. Rick was heading to play hockey when skating ended,
and I ended up at the dance with the other girl. We all decided to go out for
pizza. Two weeks later, I began dating that girl. Three years later, she was
diagnosed with MS. Despite being advised against marriage and having children,
we got married and had two daughters who have blessed us with three
grandchildren. We will celebrate fifty-two years of marriage in September 2023.
Though health issues have been a concern, I have no regrets and am confident I
made the right choice. A chance meeting with someone I barely knew led me to
the love of my life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
While
studying photography at Sheridan College, the gender imbalance was striking:
125 male students compared to just five female students. In our small cohort of
eight, there were five men and three women. Summoning my courage, I asked one
of the female students, Shirley, out on a date. She kindly declined, saying,
“I’m not the girl for you, but I know the perfect one for you!”
Not
long after, on May 2, 1974, I met Donna, Shirley’s neighbour. I immediately
sensed that Donna was, in fact, the one, and my dating days had ended. We were
married on November 6, 1976. Our relationship has blended differences and
commonalities, with Donna being my harshest critic and greatest supporter.
Donna
and I have raised two wonderful children. Tara is a devoted mother and teacher,
while Christopher is a gifted musician. Their physical appearances and
intellectual abilities reflect a strange combination of Donna and me. They are
exceptional individuals who positively contribute to the world.
One
of my long-standing dreams has been to publish a book of my photographs. The
concept for this project has been developing for some time. Meeting individuals
who can help bring such dreams to fruition is rare, but I was fortunate to
forge a close friendship with Dan Bodanis, who has an impressive network. Dan
connected me with the NHL Alumni group, which set the stage for my encounters
with Paul Patskou, Graham McWaters, and Al Rose, all featured in this book. Dan
also introduced me to Jude Pitman, the publisher at BWL Publishing Inc. (BWL).
This
book is a heartfelt acknowledgment of the family and friends who have enriched
my journey as a person, photographer, and now author. If true wealth is
measured by the family, friends, and people we meet, I am indeed the wealthiest
man alive.
The
questions have been refined since the first “Essence portrait,” but the concept
remains unchanged. The primary purpose is to gain a more profound understanding
of the person by asking probing questions and encouraging people to share their
stories and the lessons they've gleaned from their journeys.
REVIEW:
4 stars!
A loving tribute to personal heroes, inspirations, and
role models.
Ordinary People: Extraordinary Lives by Naguib Sami
Kerba is an intimate and loving tribute to people in the author’s life who are
personal heroes, inspirations, and role models. These are not stories of the
firefighter who risked his life to pull someone out of their burning home or
about the self-less acts of a stranger, but an introduction and homage to
ordinary folks, friends and family members of the author’s, who may have experienced
a life event that would have stopped many others in their tracks, but who took
what life gave them and ran with it.
I enjoyed how the author had each of his subjects respond to
their inclusion in this project, which began as a series of blog posts, by
answering a couple of introspective questions.
1. Who are you? Describe yourself in six words.
2. At some time, you reached a fork in the road. At
that time, it didn’t feel like it, but looking back, you realize it was a big
moment, one that changed your life. Describe yours.
3. What has been your biggest challenge, and how
did you overcome it?
4. What one gem you learned on your journey that
you would love to share? Alternatively, what hint would you tell a younger
version of yourself?
These questions are quite an exercise in self-reflection for
anyone, and I couldn’t help considering what my answers would be. It also led
me to wonder what kind of story I was creating as my legacy.
While not tales of derring-do, each vignette is interesting
and accompanied by pictures of the individual and photographs taken by the
author and some of his photographically gifted subjects as well. The short and
episodic nature of the entries was perfect for reading when time was limited,
before turning out the light before bedtime, or when passing time waiting for
an appointment. I recommend ORDINARY PEOPLE: EXTRAORDINARY LIVES to readers of
memoirs, biographies, and human-interest stories.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Naguib
Sami Kerba will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn
winner.
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Thank you for hosting and reviewing today.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for author-What's the strangest or most interesting thing you had to research for this book?
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing was challenging people that they had a story worthy of sharing AND THEY ARE INTERESTING.
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThis should be a very interesting novel. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe Gems alone are worth the read! When I wrote the book, it was a learning and sharing opportunity of lessons in life. I’ve always maintained that in my profession as a financial planner, I learned more from my clients than I ever taught them.
DeleteThank you for your question.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, it is forming the questions that would make the person being interviewed dig deep. This skill set was enhanced by my 33 years as a financial planner. I would ask probing questions over the course of our relationship to know the person better. Listening to the stories of my client’s journeys pushed me to want more.
Everyone has a story, faced challenges and has learned things that they can share.
The reality was I wanted more depth in their stories so I used challenging questions..
Six word description - something that would push the comfort zone and give the subject an opportunity to self reflect.
Fork in the road - we’ve all had them and some of the most innocuous moments in our lives seemed to be more monumental in the big picture. We simply don’t appreciate it until you look back in the rear view mirror.
Challenge - another opportunity to reflect and appreciate one’s journey.
Gem - we all could learn by absorbing wisdom from others journeys. “Ordinary People” has almost 3,000 years of wisdom being shared.
Was there anything significant that got cut from the final version?
ReplyDeleteNothing significant in what was actually published. I did however, not include three people due to space limitation and late submissions.
ReplyDelete