Remembering Feelings

Daria Patterson

Professor Rau

ENG 101 MD

November 1, 2014

Remembering Feelings

            Dan Josefsons’ presentation of his book That’s Not a Feeling was intriguing. Viewers find themselves overcome with a wide range of feelings, most notably, nostalgia, sadness, happiness, awe, and a bit of awkwardness. Viewers found themselves with giggling bubbling from inside them, or drifting into memories of relatable life experiences. The book takes place in the boarding school and revolves around a group of boys there for various behavioral issues, with behavioral therapy as their focus for being there. Overall, it was a fun, quirky, presentation of a child-like fiction novel with a more serious underlying message.

            When the main character, Benjamin, first arrives in his school, he is introduced to the supervisor, Roger, and the group of boys he will be spending his time there with. A notable scene that reveals many themes about the book is when the witty character, Pudding, is caught with pancakes from breakfast in his pockets. After being hit in the head with a shovel during a fight that broke out between him and another boy (all the boys were outside shoveling dirt as part of their “therapy”), the pancakes in his pockets slid into view. It was somewhat sad and somewhat humorous – at least the way Josefson read it- that the boys rallied against Pudding for having pancakes in his pocket rather than the boy who just hit him in the head with a shovel. Yes, fights and other behavioral issues were common place at this school, and perhaps this “therapy,” which also included Roger aggressively screaming behind them, was not working. The scene brings back memories of a time we have all had, whereby someone tries to reprimand you by making you do something unpleasant and being a jerk, and all it does is make you more angry.

            Josefson continued reading two other short sections of the book. This was nice for viewers because listening to the whole book or much longer sessions could have dreadful- like Kindergarten reading time. The book was very childish with a serious underlying message, which Josefson later articulated had some connection with his past life experiences. He acknowledges that it is somewhat silly, which is why the book may be best for young adults, though it is geared towards adults. Perhaps adults, having matured well past the stage of the young boys in the book, would have a better understanding and appreciation of the deep message, while younger people may lackadaisically read over it.  

            Josefson, overall, seemed dedicated and proud of his work. He worked on the book for six years and the entire process of writing and getting it published took ten. Next, he should work on his speaking and presentation skills, because though the presentation of the book was interesting, he was a bit, and sometimes very, awkward and seemingly uncomfortable, probably making viewers feel uncomfortable as well. As the reading went on, however, he lightened up and offered many funny, witty answers to the questions asked at the end.          

            Overall, Josefson’s presentation gave a nice sample of the book, so much so that if a viewer walks past it in a bookstore, they may be well inclined to buy it, or at least sit down and skim through some parts, or at the very least brag to their friend about meeting or seeing the author. Josefson, the dedicated writer, did a great job of picking which sections to read- they were all equally intriguing- and holding the attention of the audience. Perhaps his initial awkwardness with the fade into witty humor helped him in this aspect, but that’s better than nothing.