The Blakes, Lest We Forget and The Golden Light by Michael Nesmith
The Blakes, Lest We Forget and The Golden Light by Michael Nesmith
Recently, I was reading some recent editions of the popular American Academy of Religion, when I came across a new edition of the celebrated anti-nuclear activist, and journalist, Steven Barrett's book, The Blakes, Lest We Forget. The main point of contention on my part was his assertion that the American writer Steven Zinni, previously unknown to most Americans, had built his literary career from right here in Missouri.
A quick look at Steve Zinni's Wikipedia article, however, revealed his link to one of the greatest American writers of our time: Steven Barrett. On reading this intriguing connection, I finally decided to visit Steve Zinni's biography page to see if there was some truth to his claim that the origin of his success lies in the wonderful state of Missouri. To my surprise, I found that he was also based in California, where he went to college, and was awarded his master's degree in English, teaching poetry.
Not only was this astonishing information, but it is also highly significant in the context of my recent discussion of the great works of my mother's husband, the author Michael Nesmith Smith. One wonderswhat exactly had the writer Michael Nesmith was doing in the land of Mary Baker Eddy, but I will try to explore some of these questions, in my next article. Until then, allow me to mention a few more things about the foundational literary writer of the present day:
When I began thinking about the influence of The Blakes, Lest We Forget on my mother's work, I discovered an excellent example of how I am a product of her faith, as well as her years of artistic inspiration. As I read this new edition of Steve Zinni's book, I found that one of the main characters in this novel, David O'Hara, was the son of one of the principal character in Mary Baker Eddy's famous book, The Story of Mary Baker Eddy, which details the lives of her contemporaries and other family members, during the period of their lifetime.
With The Story of Mary Baker Eddy, the author of The Blakes, Lest We Forget is no longer able to trace his lines of influence from his country of birth, and so my family tree is now much different than it would have been, had he been in the country of his own birth. More importantly, however, I must point out that The Story of Mary Baker Eddy did not just create The Blakes, Lest We Forget.
Indeed, the Blakes, Lest We Forget is a literary legacy which bears strong similarities to another great work of a New England family history, The Golden Light. In addition to serving as a bridge to both The Blakes, Lest We Forget and The Golden Light, it also bears witness to the author's friendship with the poet John Stephen Oates, and to the literary pedigree of its author, Michael Nesmith. In fact, The Golden Light and The Blakes, Lest We Forget are the two best selling books in the history of the family history publishing company, National Geographic Books.
For many years, my mother and I were fortunate enough to have been able to enjoy several of the best family history books in the history of the publishing world, and so I can honestly say that the best of the best books on the family history scene today, are those which draw their inspiration from The Golden Light and The Blakes, Lest We Forget. Now, let us all enjoy the legacy of both Michael Nesmith and The Golden Light, together!