Have you ever known one of those individuals who loves his family and friends too much, is passionate about his "calling," is entirely too sensitive to the plight of others, and is totally mystified by those who live by the "everything in moderation" mantra? If not, allow me to introduce James Thurber Russell. Doing It Wrong?, relates the odyssey of a dedicated, passionate, educator; a father figure to his students; a magnetic personality possessing an outrageous,uncensored sense of humor; a loving husband, father, son, and friend who constantly seeks his conception of the "ideal" while being detoured by the "real" world. The events and people populating his world, the evaluation of his and their many life-altering decisions, and the consequences of those actions reveal the story of a man who thought he was doing it so right in a world that told him he just might be doing it wrong.
The novel explores JT's growing disenchantment with the profession he once loved, which he now views as compromised and misdirected by well intentioned, misguided, outside political influences. The tale examines the bonds and bounds of loyalty, loss and survival, the responsibilities and demands of intimacy, poor life choices and second chances,"wanting" as opposed to "having," predestination and free will, selflessness versus selfishness, and the illusion of happy endings.
The dialogue is frank, touching, humorous, sexual, and perhaps shocking. Strong character development lends itself to a genuine care and concern for some characters and a distaste and replusion for others. Welcome to JT Russell's world of Doing It Wrong?.
William N. Rappa, Jr. retired from the Lynn, Massachusetts, school department at the conclusion of the 2004-2005 school year following a thirty-six year teaching career. During this thirty-six year career, Mr. Rappa taught students at all levels of public education: elementary, junior high school, middle school, high school, and adult education. In addition, he developed, implemented, and administered supplementary remedial programming from pre-kindergarten level through adult education. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 1969 and his Master’s Degree in Education from Salem State College in 1973.
Mr. Rappa, a lifelong resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, the setting of his novel, resides in that historically rich city with his wife, two daughters and their families.
Doing It Wrong? is his first novel.