Robert W. Norris was born and raised in Humboldt County, California, where he played basketball in high school and junior college. In 1969, he entered the Air Force but subsequently became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War and served time in a military prison for refusing to fight. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his latest book, "The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me," an autobiography and tribute to his mother.
The power of language and careful communication: Robert's specific choice of words during his court-martial may have saved him from a harsher sentence. Experiences within the military justice system: His story shares the process of the military court, and how his military lawyer's advice played a crucial role in his trial. Finding one's path and the inspiration to write: Robert's travels and encounters with various European artists contributed to his desire to express himself and eventually led him to start writing. Robert’s search for identity: Which involved hitchhiking across the United States and traveling through Europe, an experience that enriched his life and gave him a new perspective. A mother’s Impact: Robert's mother had a really strong influence on him and was more than just his mother, but also his best friend for most of his life. She was always there supporting him, even when others criticized his decisions, such as refusing to fight in the war. Robert describes her as a strong and independent woman who had quite an adventurous life herself.
Buy The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QucmzK
More conversations
Becoming Your Own Best Friend
Janice Erlbaum left home at 15 for New York City's shelter system. Twenty years after Girlbomb, she talks about owning her part of the story, the teachers who saw her, and why she tells everyone to keep writing it down.
Listen →
When Small Towns Censored Hollywood
Novelist Glenn R. Miller on the small-town ministers who once censored Hollywood's silent films, the family note cards that inspired his satire Rough Cuts, and why censorship is never black and white.
Listen →
Living Your Own Truth
Singer Machan Taylor, who toured with Pink Floyd and Sting, on the loneliness behind a glamorous life on the road, writing a memoir she never meant to write, and why holding the finished book finally let her let go.
Listen →