Books open doors

to a fuller life

Author John E. Sorrell will read
from his work at local libraries

IN THE beginning was the
word,

By Evelyn Jacob
News Reporter

But in author John E. Sorrell’s
salvation story, there was no
word. And in the end, it was not
religion that saved him.

Sorrell’s destitute family fled

_lreland during the Great Potato
Famine and made their way to the
blue grass state of Kentucky. In
their new home, every day was a
struggle.

Sorrell’s grandparents had
almost no education and were
forced to get by on the most me-
nial of jobs. His grandfather was
stabbed to death over a nickel.
His father was s— poor he didn’t
even own a pair of shoes until he
was 16. .

Sorrell himself almost died from
pneumonia because his parents
didn’t know how to get ap-
propriate medical care.

“We lived a meagre existence
for a long, long time,’’ says the
author, now in his 30s, over the
phene from his West End apart-
ment. ‘*We couldn’t pay our rent
and were evicted more than once.
My grandfather went from menial
job to menial job, but my father
was determined to get out of that

f

44 Were
illiteracy an
identifiable

disease it would
be judged an
epidemic. 99

- U.S. Senator Joyce
Fairburn

and worked hard to find a decent
job.”

For Sorrell, the way out came
from an unexpected source:
books.

Discovering the written word
and books like Thor Heyerdahl’s
Kon Tiki, Homer’s iad and The
Odyssey, and ‘Robert Browning's
Poetry became the door to a
ticher, fuller fife, to the world of
the imagination.

Reading allowed him to pull
himself out of the seemingly
endless cycle of poverty and ig-
norance.

“The library was really my
salvation. I wouldn’t have been

able to afford any of the books
that ted to my love affair with
reading,’ says Sorrell. “You can
take out books and explore them
to your heart’s content. By virtue
of the library, everyone has access
to books.”*

Sorrell was the first in his fami-
ly to obtain a university educa-
tion. He won a scholarship, and
in 1980 came to Vancouver and
completed a master’s degree in
creative writing at UBC.

Since then he has written several
award-winning books, including
in Broad Daylight: Stories of Sex,
Love and War, and On the Other
Side of the River. He teaches at
the Open University of B.C., is
chief writer and editor of Write
Ideas, a Vancouver business and
literary writing service, and is
Stagelines Theatre Productions’
artistic director.

Next Tuesday (Sept.!7) Sorrell
will read from his work at three
North Shore libraries as part of
literacy month.

The Literacy Speakers Service, a
national organization whose goal
is to find solutions to literacy
problems in the workplace, is
organizing events like these
throughout the country.

An incredible five million Ca-
nadians lack the tools to perform

See Sorrell page 48

MOUNT OLIVET LUTHERAN CHURCH

1305 East 18th Street, North Vancouver

extends an invitation to all who are seeking a Christian community where the primary
emphasis is to help people experience the gift of God, which is eternal life. The life of
the parish is centred around God's Word and Sacraments, shared in regular worship and
classes for all age groups.

The members of Mt. Olivet see themselves as members of acommunity, within which
they strive to care for and serve one another in the spirit and manner of Jesus Christ. They
are also eager to serve and witness to others to draw them into Christ’s community.

As anew season of activity again begins, we encourage you to inquire about ourclasses

and various programs:

Wea

aS y Petes
eh) He DS. Lo.

Confirmation Class
Choir
Week-Day Bible Classes
Youth Group
Membership Classes

Pastor Paul Eifert
welcomes all inquiries at
929-3915

WORSHIP:

Every Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
SUNDAY SCHOOL &
BIBLE CLASSES:
Every Sunday at 9:30 A.M.

Transportation will giadly
be arranged
for those who require it.

Q

Specializing in Blinds and Draperies for over 7 years

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Photo submitted
AUTHOR JOHN €. Sorrel! will speak about literacy ard read
from his work next Tuesday at three North Shore libraries.

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