No Sacred Oxen / Arena Books (PDF)

In this unorthodox autobiographical collection of essays the author invites the reader into a world of travel, teaching, education, entertainment, chess, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, despair, political intrigue, faith and Catholicism.
From beginning to end the reader will find moments of laughter and sadness and, on occasion, the absurd. This is a quest and a voyage into an unknown future we all share and decide upon for better or worse, for richer or poorer.
In the telling of his story the author discovers and reveals a deeper reason why numerous attempts to reach Mount Happiness are thwarted, although this is not so much a quest for happiness as a realization that what is worthwhile in life often begins with having faith in the present and the future. Such things define us all and even define nations.
The author writes upon an historical canvas in describing the past, not only as it existed in his own life, but in that of England from 1500 AD onwards and to the present day. In this particular instance the context is political and religious and a conclusion presents the reader with the notion of a stark choice in the antepenultimate essay, The Miner’s Son.
On this journey there are also plenty of diversions along the way, from a pilgrimage in Spain to rock concerts in England, from brewery tours to punch-ups and from cliff diving competitions in Oman to coach trips in Saudi Arabia. A life - characteristic in its vicissitudes and variety - is explained, mourned and celebrated in this compelling book.