Christianity And The Great South Land
T.A. Hooper
Outskirts Press
ISBN: 9781432709815
Reviewed By Wendy Paulson
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
T.A.
Hooper wears his pride on his sleeve, and he's not afraid to show it.
Manifesting itself in the dualistic form of his unquestioned Christian
faith and his love for his homeland of Australia, his pride is a
reflection of the comfort we should all take in the blessings of our
daily lives. In Christianity And The Great South Land, Hooper provides the reader with specific reasons as to why such sentiment is so important.
Dedicated
to his late father, the Reverend Kenneth Schneider, the early pieces in
Hooper's collection pull no punches in defending the Christian
principles that serve as the collective foundation for his life. His
personal testimony does not, though, come off as proselytizing, which
greatly enhances its overall appeal. Consider this passage from "The
Most Important Decision":
"What to eat, drink, drive and wear are all important decisions for us
And we always make them with the maximum amount of fuss
Yet when it comes to making a decision about where
we shall spend eternity, the rest of our immortal lives
We brush the decision aside as if it were just
a swarm of annoying flies."
And this passage from "Less Of Us, More Of You":
"Less of our will, more of yours in our lives
Is what we want for our planet, we all for do strive
Your will be done, Lord, in all of our lives
So for the world we can go out and impact and from
your will we will no longer be able to hide"
Such
passages expose our common human longings, as well as the inherent
passion of our everyday lives. What they don't do, though, is dictate
just how we should address such sentiments in an effort to reconcile
the spirit with the flesh. A difficult trick, but Hooper pulls it off
in convincing fashion.
Hooper also provides the reader with
quite the detailed history lesson of his beloved Australia, and, in
such pieces as "Australia – My Home" and "My Australia," the reasons
for that love come shining through. He takes his patriotic fervor a
step further, though, in "A Proud Australian," which serves as a
clarion call to his fellow citizens to protect and preserve the cherish
land they call home:
"No matter the cost we have to pay, change this trend is what we must do
So that we can leave a beautiful Australia, land, and
people, for our children to look forward to"
Imagine the impact if everyone took as much pride in the fostering of our collective legacy.
Christianity And The Great South Land
is an enjoyable read sure to inspire and enlighten. With subtle
intensity, Hooper reminds the reader of just why each of our individual
lives matters so much, especially on a global scale.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: T.A. Hooper (Christianity And The Great South Land)
Apex Reviews: T.A., thanks for joining us for this interview. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
T.A. Hooper: Thanks for having me.
AR: Your devotion to your faith shines through in the book. Have you been a Christian your entire life?
TAH: I've been a Christian for almost 23 years now. I had an up close and personal experience with GOD and Jesus Christ back in August, 1985. If it wasn't for my faith in GOD I would never have personally survived the deaths of my uncle, father, mother and Nan from 1988 to 1995.
AR: You dedicated your book to your late father. How great an impact did he have on your life?
TAH: I never knew my biological father until I was 25 years old and he died tragically 2 years later, so I really never did get a chance to know him. After I moved to Perth from Sydney, I met Ken and his family and he became like a surrogate father to me before he became my father-in-law. He believed in me and my GOD given talent as a writer. He encouraged me to write. It would be true to say if it wasn't for him, "Christianity and The Great South Land" would still be a dream. My wife Coral, Ken's daughter, as well as our children, Tim, Nicole, Kelly, Bec and Chantelle, have carried on with that faith in me and my ability.
AR: Our reviewer made note of the special affection you feel for your homeland of Australia. Have you always had such pride in your native land, or was there a particular event/issue that fostered it?
TAH: Australia, my homeland, is in my humble opinion, GOD's country, the greatest country on Earth. That doesn't mean we don't have our share of problems, we do but I'm a very proud Australian and always have been for as long as I can remember. Whilst America is "The Land of Opportunity" and I have discovered that first hand, I still believe Australia is the best place on Earth. My patriotic pride in Australia is not dissimilar to an American and how they feel about the U.S.A.
AR: Did you have to perform detailed research in order to compose such pieces as "Anzacs," "Uluru," and "Sydney?"
TAH: Sydney was where I was born and lived the first 28 years of my life. The Anzacs and their tradition were taught about in school from an early age and it always stayed with me. I've always had an interest in the spiritual side of life and Uluru is one of the spiritual sites of the Indigenous Australians.
AR: We noticed in your bio that you're quite the accomplished writer (congratulations!). Please share with our readers some of your considerable literary accomplishments thus far.
TAH: I don't know if you can call me an accomplished writer but I've been fortunate enough to win 2 awards for my Poetry. The Poems "Jesus Christ" and "This Land Australia" won the National Authors Registry's President's Award for Literary Excellence in 1994 and 2003.
AR: How has your publishing experience been thus far with Outskirts Press?
TAH: It has been a positive one. They wanted to judge my work for themselves instead of taking the word of a person who doubted his own ability.
AR: What's next for you?
TAH: I'm currently working on another couple of books, One Accord and Lives and Loves, Family and Friends.
AR: How can people learn more about your writings and other efforts?
TAH: Through the following websites: www.outskirtspress.com/tahooper and www.myspace.com/tahooper.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
TAH: Everybody has talents and gifts, we just have to discover them. I was blessed that a Year 9 English Teacher discovered mine and I was encouraged by loved ones all the way. I would just like to encourage others to make the most of their gifts and talents.
AR: Thanks again, T.A., and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
TAH: Thank you.