Is That You Coolidge? A Book Review

I did a series of posts a couple of years ago that I called “Friends Writing Good Books.”  Today I have another entry to make with a book by my long-time friend from college days, Mark Sims. Is that You, Coolidge? is Mark Sims’ memoir recalling the life of his father, Calvin Coolidge Sims. 

In the foreword by former Alabama Governor Bob Riley, who hails from the Sims’ hometown of Ashland, the Governor says that this book might be used as a primer for parents seeking to raise their children with love and solid values. The book indeed works on many levels.

Great Storytelling

Mark Sims is a master storyteller. As he relates the many stories of life in the small town of Ashland, Alabama, he skillfully sets the stage to bring the reader fully in to that world. He readily evokes interest, along with laughter and tears, as he tells of the life of his father and his own experiences growing up in the 1960s.

Oral History

Coolidge also serves as an oral history from an important time and place in our culture. In reading this memoir, one will find first hand accounts of what it was like to be part of that generation of young men (and women) called to serve their country in one of history’s greatest hours of need. Hundreds of thousands of young men were called to service in response to Hitler’s rise and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Sims was able to record in his father’s own words what it was like as a young soldier to advance with the troops onto Normandy Beach, and what it was like to come back home after all the cheering had faded.

The memoir also lets us see what life was like navigating the Great Depression years in rural and small town America. We get to watch as Coolidge Sims makes that transition that made his generation unique: moving from simpler days in the rural South to seek an education and enter professional life (Coolidge Sims was a pharmacist). We also get a first-hand account in the author’s words of the uncertain days of the civil rights struggle as schools and churches were confronted with social change.

What some may not realize today is that small towns were once where most of the action took place. Most families, businesses, schools, and social activities in this country were centered in small towns. Coolidge allows us to see the vitality of small town American life during its heyday – before the suburbs swelled and before so many manufacturing industries moved their enterprises elsewhere.

Family Life

In some ways, Coolidge is like a family album (yes, there are even family photos), but Sims tells the story of Coolidge and his family in a way that many will relate to and can take delight in reading. The life stories include all the joy, sadness, and tragedy that accompany any life fully lived. The author is especially effective in his unfolding of themes such as father/son conflicts, family dynamics, and close friendships. We get to watch as adult children respond as they learn how to care for their elderly and ailing parent. We listen in, as it were, as new insights arise as Sims comes to see his father in a new light.  

Real Life Wisdom

There is a lot of lived wisdom in Coolidge. In one memorable passage, Mark Sims comments to his father that he has kept his upbeat attitude even in his increasing illness. Coolidge’s response is one that I highlighted as I read it.

Son, I’m sure you know the Bible says there’s a time for everything – a time to laugh and a time to cry. Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of crying. I’ve lost both of my parents, my brother, and both of my sisters. And losing your mother was the saddest thing I’ve ever experienced. It was hard to shake it off, and in a sense, I’ll never get over it. And I never want to because she was always part of my life. But I’ve learned that the only way to cope with sadness is to let laughter overtake it now and then. There’s always something you can laugh about. If not in the present, then at least you can go back in your memories and laugh again and again at the things that brought you happiness in times past. You can choose to revisit past sadness or past joys. They’re all still in there, waiting to be remembered.

By way of disclaimer and full disclosure, I mentioned at the beginning that Mark Sims is a good friend. He is also an associate pastor at Kingwood Church in Alabaster, Alabama. He has given us a great gift by sharing the story of his father. The gift, I am sure, is even more important for his family and for those who knew Coolidge Sims, but it is story that any reader will benefit from.

Mark Sims is also author of Call It Incredible, about the remarkable life and ministry of his mentor, Ron Cox.

Book Details:

Paperback: 323 pages

Publisher: Rocky Heights; First edition (October 16, 2017)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1937908690

ISBN-13: 978-1937908690

Package Dimensions: 9 x 5 x 2 inches

Is That You Coolidge? Is available on Amazon.

  

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