Official Review: Focusing Emptiness by Michael P. Staples
Posted: 23 Apr 2018, 00:21
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Focusing Emptiness" by Michael P. Staples.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Focusing Emptiness: A Mytho-Poetic Journey To the Lost Child lies somewhere between the genres of memoir and psychology. Author Michael P. Staples uses his own experiences to illustrate the lingering effects of a traumatic childhood, even when it seems the memories and pain have long since subsided. This 224-page book allows the reader to share Michael’s first-hand account of the events that “split” him as a child, and those that finally lead to his path of healing.
As a young boy, Michael’s place in his family was always on the outside, looking in. After his biological father walked out when he was just six months old, his mother got remarried to a man that was physically violent to both her and Michael. Now the oldest of five children, Michael felt a sense of responsibility over his mother, but there was little he could do to help the situation. Michael learned to cope with the abuse by retreating within himself to a place of fantasy, essentially becoming Peter Pan-an eternal child. Michael also became increasingly defiant of authority figures which created additional hardships for him in school and at home.
Michael's independent nature, coupled with his self-molded reality, led him to join the military at the age of seventeen. He would go on to serve four years in the Vietnam War, during which time he often employed his trademark risk-taking behavior; behavior that could have gotten him discharged from the military or killed. The events of Michael’s childhood began to emerge when he leaned on a newfound love of gongfu (karate), at which point the narrative takes many twists and turns that would profoundly reshape Michael’s world.
Focusing Emptiness has a beautifully natural flow and follows a structured timeline, making it easy to feel connected to Michael’s progression. I especially liked the intriguing experiences Michael had throughout his life, some of which contained an unexpected supernatural element. I learned a lot about both the art of karate and the nature of emotional suppression as it relates to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What I most admired about the book is the relatability of Michael; even those who have not been personally affected by domestic violence will likely know someone that behaves in the same emotionally-withdrawn or ultra-defiant manner.
I found it interesting that the author merely skimmed over his instances of abuse, leaving me to wonder whether or not that was intentional. Because of this, it wasn’t readily apparent to me that Michael was suffering in such a profound way, forcing me to take the author’s word for it. Grammatically speaking, I did find several errors. These errors weren’t catastrophic by any means, but certainly noticeable. The author also begins an exorbitant amount of sentences with “And” and “But”, and I could have done with less usage of ellipses.
As I finished the book, what I really felt was missing was the author's intimate relationship with his own story. I believe this is most likely a trait deeply embedded into his personality after so many years of suppression, but as it pertains to the purpose of this book, I cared far more about Michael’s personal journey than about his physical journey, and the emphasis was definitely on the latter. All things considered, I have rated this book 3 out of 4 stars, primarily because too much emphasis was placed on Michael's experiences with martial arts and the military, and not enough time was spent delving into his emotions.
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Focusing Emptiness
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3 out of 4 stars
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Focusing Emptiness: A Mytho-Poetic Journey To the Lost Child lies somewhere between the genres of memoir and psychology. Author Michael P. Staples uses his own experiences to illustrate the lingering effects of a traumatic childhood, even when it seems the memories and pain have long since subsided. This 224-page book allows the reader to share Michael’s first-hand account of the events that “split” him as a child, and those that finally lead to his path of healing.
As a young boy, Michael’s place in his family was always on the outside, looking in. After his biological father walked out when he was just six months old, his mother got remarried to a man that was physically violent to both her and Michael. Now the oldest of five children, Michael felt a sense of responsibility over his mother, but there was little he could do to help the situation. Michael learned to cope with the abuse by retreating within himself to a place of fantasy, essentially becoming Peter Pan-an eternal child. Michael also became increasingly defiant of authority figures which created additional hardships for him in school and at home.
Michael's independent nature, coupled with his self-molded reality, led him to join the military at the age of seventeen. He would go on to serve four years in the Vietnam War, during which time he often employed his trademark risk-taking behavior; behavior that could have gotten him discharged from the military or killed. The events of Michael’s childhood began to emerge when he leaned on a newfound love of gongfu (karate), at which point the narrative takes many twists and turns that would profoundly reshape Michael’s world.
Focusing Emptiness has a beautifully natural flow and follows a structured timeline, making it easy to feel connected to Michael’s progression. I especially liked the intriguing experiences Michael had throughout his life, some of which contained an unexpected supernatural element. I learned a lot about both the art of karate and the nature of emotional suppression as it relates to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What I most admired about the book is the relatability of Michael; even those who have not been personally affected by domestic violence will likely know someone that behaves in the same emotionally-withdrawn or ultra-defiant manner.
I found it interesting that the author merely skimmed over his instances of abuse, leaving me to wonder whether or not that was intentional. Because of this, it wasn’t readily apparent to me that Michael was suffering in such a profound way, forcing me to take the author’s word for it. Grammatically speaking, I did find several errors. These errors weren’t catastrophic by any means, but certainly noticeable. The author also begins an exorbitant amount of sentences with “And” and “But”, and I could have done with less usage of ellipses.
As I finished the book, what I really felt was missing was the author's intimate relationship with his own story. I believe this is most likely a trait deeply embedded into his personality after so many years of suppression, but as it pertains to the purpose of this book, I cared far more about Michael’s personal journey than about his physical journey, and the emphasis was definitely on the latter. All things considered, I have rated this book 3 out of 4 stars, primarily because too much emphasis was placed on Michael's experiences with martial arts and the military, and not enough time was spent delving into his emotions.
******
Focusing Emptiness
View: on Bookshelves
Like revna01's review? Post a comment saying so!
