Title: Thus Spoke Golden Guru
Author: Conrad Linden
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1-4568-3792-1
Pages: 118
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Christa Hill
Pacific Book Review
The story of Mr. Frank’s return to his hometown Prague is told in very simple prose. It has a charming sweetness that makes the reader aware of the world in which Frank lived in without giving to much detail. From and academic perspective, I liked the essay questions as they gave an opportunity to think about the perspective. Some of the characters were rather colorless in a way, which left me feeling as though the main focus of the story was the concept and not the characters.
At times Linden breaks up the dialogue with philosophies and theories, which as a reader I found a bit discombobulating. While I think that the history and philosophy are educational and thought provoking, I would rather have read about it at the end of each episode. Yet the history laced into the fabric of this piece was necessary in order to understand what was taking place.
The details outlining the grading scale were amusing and very well done. It was helpful for those considering teaching in Australia. As a reader I was impressed by Mr. Linden’s breath of knowledge on varying subjects. He covers everything from romance to teaching to the crucifixion of Christ. While some of the windows are challenging others were bare bones leaving something to be desired. It was a joy to see how Linden could write to make you think. Even without answering the essay questions there is much to marinate on at the end of each episode.
This piece becomes most interesting in the middle with Conrad Linden’s autobiography. I was gripped by his story of rejection at birth and his confusion about politics and family. At points during his autobiographies his style changes, he talks in wistful tones about beauty and pain. His relationship with his father is complicated and often unpredictable. Each episode is a vignette into different perspectives, new ideas, and how to re-examine old beliefs.
This book is unique in every sense of the word. It has non-fiction and moments of fiction. It starts simply and quickly becomes complicated. Before long Mr. Frank and Mr. Conrad meld into one character/ personage they struggle with the same problems. Reading this book cover to cover I was engaged with Conrad’s story because I assumed it to be reality. On the other hand I found Mr. Frank’s story difficult to follow at times. Learning about the issue of perspective was fascinating; however it makes this piece best suited to readers within the academic sphere.
