Eye to the Sky by Bobby Norfolk

Synopsis: A memoir of short stories on Bobby Norfolk’s life

Writing Style:  Straightforward.

Pacing: Super Fast… A page-turner!

Premise: An enlightening muse of stories to educate and entertain…

Personal Highlights: Never heard of Norfolk before this book, so the impact of the stories, and thus storytelling, came as a much welcomed surprise.

The childhood stories were a treat. Big Mama… his want to be superman… particularly the Clark Kent stunt jumping off that roof (not so funny)…though his reflection on the human slinky were a few favorites. I actually folded over crying laughing after reading about that trip to Temple University to join a Black Panther rally. Oh.my.goodness… few pictures emerge as memorable, or more humorous than the one Bobby created, that gratefully, ended on a redeeming note.

An adventurous spirit for sure; …the pills, the mountain hikes and comedy ‘killer shows’ compliment the wide berth of entertainment contained in this small book. The inserted poem “thoughts”, his training and eventual employment as a Park Ranger, alongside numerous stories; “Theatre of my Mind,” “The Bald Eagle”, “Maid of the Mist” the swans, the moving vermin in food…a list that goes on and on underscores Bobby’s ability to take every day stories and make them taller.

With less than a quarter remaining of what had thus far been a gratifying read, came the chapter on “This new thing called Storytelling”. Storytelling in and of itself is hardly new. Telling stories dates back to the origination of man, although, and admittedly, searching for information on storytelling, or storytellers as late as 2010, resulted in a lot of dead-links and blank space. It wasn't until 2012 when search engines started catching up, populating that vast empty space with this new thing called storytelling. I mean, Bobby, and storytellers such as Jackie (The Story Lady) and Brenda Wong Aoki, had been professional traveling storytellers since the 80’s. Phenomenal.

Oh, and here’s another gem; Bobby’s reflection on what saved America in the 60’s era… “MUSIC!” What a beautiful reflection. Perhaps today it will be, storytelling!!!

Awesome Job. Highly recommended!