Acts Of Kindness
John Adams, Jr.
iUniverse
ISBN: 9780595444328
Reviewed By Linda Waterson
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
Sometimes
all it takes is a look… Anything can trigger it: a glance across the
room, a whiff of the hair, a tantalizing half-smile - regardless of
whatever form it comes in, the slightest gesture can often transfix our
attention onto a fleeting moment in time that tells us to take notice
of what's happening; reminds us that something significant is happening
that will affect us for the rest of our lives.
Such is the case
with John Arenia and Diane Meschberg: a newly transferred
fourth-grader, John sees Diane on the first day at his new school and
instantly knows that things will never be the same. Something about her
completely captivates him - mind, body, and spirit - and he soon begins
to wonder just why he can't seem to get her out of his system.
After
all, on the surface she's completely out of his league: a member of the
Legion Of Exceptional Girls, Diane runs with a distinguished clique of
privileged princesses more suited for jocks and pretty boys than
overweight, unkempt commoners. John's friends constantly remind him of
this fact, but he can never deny to himself the strength of his
mysterious connection to the true object of his desire.
Unbeknownst
to him, Diane feels the same strange attraction between them, but over
the course of their schooling, they somehow never get beyond the phase
of exchanging polite pleasantries. Forever left to wonder about what
could have been, they go on to lead quite different lives, separated
physically by thousands of miles - but still connected by thoughts of
mutual affection for one another.
Even after marrying
different spouses and raising families of their own, John and Diane
can't stop themselves from contemplating what may happen should they
ever meet again - and, little do they know, such an opportunity may not
be as far away as either of them thinks…
In Acts Of Kindness,
John Adams tells the kind of story we all wish would play out in our
own lives everyday: that of the undeniable pull of true love. One may
wonder how two people from vastly different walks of life could ever
find common ground in a romantic relationship, but we must never
question the power of the emotional over the physical. There are always
forces at play guiding and leading us in ways we may never understand,
but, in yielding to them, we can achieve incredible things we could
never imagine accomplishing on our own.
In John's case, he
resents his parents for their outdated approaches to childrearing,
having escalating clashes with them until he finally emancipates
himself from them by quitting school when he reaches the
legally-allowed age and moving away from home to venture out on his
own. Not only that, but, as a homely, pasty youth, he is often singled
out by bullies and teachers alike, determined to destroy his
self-esteem and crush his spirit. In Diane's case, she is destined for
a life of favor and privilege, with all things coming so easily to her
it's almost criminal - who would ever think that two such disparate
souls would ever be bound for life by the bonds of compassion and sheer
will?
Acts Of Kindness
is an engaging, compelling, and oftentimes amusing read, but it's true
power lies in its ability to open your mind to embracing the hidden
jewels that life often has to offer.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: John Adams, Jr. (Acts Of Kindness)
AR: John, thanks for joining us for this interview. We greatly appreciate having this opportunity to learn more about your book.
Are any parts of the book autobiographical? If so, which ones?
JA: [*chuckle*] My dad asked me the same thing last year when he proofread the manuscript for me. He wondered if I was trying to tell him something. Anyway, my book is a work of fiction—but there are several scenes that have their basis in fact. A few items are from my own personal history with my real-life version of the fictional Diane. On pages 22 to 24, when John is refueling Diane's boat. On pages 47 and 48, when John comes upon Diane and Susan walking to the grocery for a soda after cheerleader practice. The short chapter on pages 71 and 72, when the LEG sings Diane their funny version of "Happy Birthday" as John watches and takes note of her birthday for future reference. All of these happened in real life between the person upon which I based Diane's character and myself.
AR: What is really the source of the connection between John and Diane?
JA: For John, it's having only one person with whom he can feel safe. He has very little peace at school and not much more peace at home; Diane's presence is both calming and soothing to him. For Diane, it's something of a case of rooting for the underdog. She respects him for holding up stoically under the peer abuse she witnesses. For both, it could be a case of agreeable pheromones or something else indefinable.
AR: Why do they never act on their mutual affection before John moves away?
JA: For John, it's a case of having his spirit battered so badly he believes no one will ever love him or accept him. He thinks a girl of Diane's caliber couldn't possibly come down to his level, courtesy of Sherri's sly manipulation. For Diane, it's simply peer pressure. She denies the pull of her own heart to maintain her standing within the LEG, despite the under-the-table assistance of her close friends Lisa Norte and Susan Trueton. Also, Diane needs him to step forward to her—but he can't bring himself to do so because of his wounded sense of self-worth.
AR: John is a very spirited character. In fact, even when he's getting beaten by bullies or his parents, he still mouths off. Where does he get his spunk?
JA: Where does anyone get their spunk? But to answer your question, John gets his spunk from keeping his eye on the prize—persevering through thick and thin to eventually escape his tormentors. His personal sense of honor and sense of self-reliance require him to stay unbent by the cruelty he faces; the harder they push, the more rigid his resolve becomes. Giving up gives his tormentors victory and he wants to deny them any victory that comes at his expense.
AR: Likewise, what makes Diane such a sweet, tender soul—unlike most of her snotty compatriots in the Legion of Exceptional Girls (LEG)?
JA: You would have to ask the real-life inspiration for Diane's character that question to get an accurate answer. But from my point of view, chalk it up to good upbringing, loving and supportive parents, an upstanding personality, and the intelligence to know right from wrong. I tried to make the fictional Diane as close to her real-life counterpart as I could remember.
AR: At the funeral for his son, does John imagine the little girl and her message to him, or does that really happen?
JA: I deliberately left that vague. I am a Christian and believe in angels and a glorious place called Heaven, but some of my readers might not. The reader can interpret that scene in line with his or her own system of beliefs and not think I'm shoving my faith in their face. It gets my Christian beliefs out there without offending anybody.
AR: Acts of Kindness is your fourth published novel. How have the responses to your books been?
JA: Sadly, not as good as I'd like. The publisher of my second and third books, The Widower and The Guilty Ones respectively, has them priced way too high to be competitive in a very crowded fiction-readers market. The Widower is 385 pages long and is priced at $24.95, which is double the price of a similar sized book at a bookstore. My books get a lot of looks by interested parties—but the price makes then go "yikes!" and look somewhere else. It's sad to say, but my second and third novels are being stifled by their very own publisher!
AR: What's next for you?
JA: I've been writing fiction since 1993 and I have ten completed manuscripts haunting my computer's hard drive. Four of those ten are currently published; when the time is right, I'll select one of the remaining six and submit it to a publisher. Right now, the decision of which one is a toss-up between Sensuous Tails—a collection of twelve erotic short stories—and The Manipulator, a "Romantica" –style book of the kind usually found on the Ellora's Cave website. Both weigh in at around 40,000 words and should have a cover price low enough to be competitive, once it's published. Also, I have concepts in mind for four more books and writing for one of those will begin sometime soon. My mind is always busy with composing dialogue, dreaming up story concepts and more.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
JA: Your readers should know I have a website. Go to www.johnwadamsjr.com and have a look around. Click into the Fellow Scribes area for links to the websites of other authors, as well as links to my profile and blogs on MySpace.com. The guestbook is closed because of abuse by spammers, but your readers can send me an e-mail through the "Contact" link just under the banner.
Also, I'd like to share a bit of trivia. The pictures on the cover are of my ex-wife Nancy and myself. The two lower pictures were taken in 1980 and the wedding picture was taken in 1985. I created my own cover art with the pictures, scissors, tape and some colored paper before I threw the whole thing on the flatbed scanner. I am nowhere near being a computer-friendly person and such things like PhotoShop are alien to me. So I did it the old-fashioned way. The pictures were just laying around and I don't have to pay myself a modeling fee—so why not use them?
AR: Thanks again, John, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!