Memoir Sample before Edits

I couldn’t wait to surprise my wife with the news that I was the new chairman of the board of Bank of America. Me! A black kid from an unflinchingly segregated town in Mississippi named Hattiesburg who cut classes and played hooky all the way through high school.

The flight to Chicago took about an hour and a half. I was flying commercial. I chuckled at the thought that this would be my last commercial flight for Bank of America. Not my last commercial flight by any means. As chairman, I would have one of the bank’s fleet of eight planes at my disposal. Solely for bank-related use, of course. The bank was very strict about using its planes for non-bank purposes.

By the time I arrived home that evening, Shirley had already learned from CNN all about my sudden advancement. So much for my surprise! The bank had issued an announcement immediately after the meeting. I knew there was a press release, but I had not seen it. I didn’t think it would be published so soon. But I should have known it would be. We were in the middle of a crisis. The press, and certainly the markets, were waiting to hear what we were going to do. The slightest change in the condition of the bank would be big news. I just was not used to being in the news like that.

Shirley was as shocked as I was. Friends and colleagues from all over the country had been calling with congratulations. Even our two sons called, impressed, and they were accustomed to milestone events in our lives—like my phoning from Air Force One on the way to Coretta Scott King’s funeral in 2006, or my sitting next to Queen Elizabeth at a state dinner at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in London, to which I had been invited by President George W. Bush.

“ I saw Dad on television. Wow! Chairman of the Bank of America!” my older son, Keith, gushed. It didn’t take long for his sardonic sense of humor to kick in. “Can I get a loan, Dad?”  

My younger son, Eric, phoned from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he lived. He went there for graduate studies and never left.

Memoir Sample After Edits

A black kid from Mississippi named the new chairman of the board? A truant who cut classes and played hooky all the way through his unflinchingly segregated high school leading the Bank of America? Me? No one from Hattiesburg would have predicted that in a million years. I couldn’t wait to surprise my wife with the news.

The flight to Chicago took the longest hour and a half of my life up to that point. I chuckled at the thought that this would probably be my last commercial flight for Bank of America. As chairman I would have one of the bank’s fleet of eight planes at my disposal. I marveled at the thought that so much was going to change, but I resolved then and there that I wouldn’t. I might have to fly around the country on behalf of the bank, but I would still be that same kid from Hattiesburg. No one would ever find me using a corporate jet for to go on vacation.

By the time I arrived home that evening my plans to surprise Shirley had been foiled. She had already learned from CNN all about my meteoric rise to the chairmanship. I knew that there was going to be a press release, but I had not seen it, and nor had I thought it would be issued so soon. But I should have known it would be: the bank and the whole country was in the middle of a crisis. The press, and certainly the markets, were waiting to hear what we were going to do. The slightest change would be big news, so a change in leadership qualified as a monumental development. Appointing the first African-American chairman to lead the Bank of America in the midst of the biggest financial meltdown since the Great Depression? In the next twenty-four hours alone I would be profiled in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and mentioned on all three national newscasts. I was not used to being in the news like that.

Shirley was as shocked as I was. Friends and colleagues from all over the country had been calling with congratulations and best wishes. But only when our two sons called did I realize how far and wide the news had travelled. Growing up they were accustomed to their father rubbing elbows with Queen Elizabeth at a state dinner at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in London or phoning them from Air Force One on the way to Coretta Scott King’s funeral. But like any young adults, once they had left home for college they quickly became immersed in their own lives, and news of my career faded into the background. It would have to have been monumental news for my elevation to chairman to have reached them and penetrated their world—literally! My younger son Eric had moved to Amsterdam for graduate studies and never left, but even he had heard the news. Nor did it take long for his older brother Keith’s sardonic sense of humor to kick in: “Wow — Chairman of the Bank of America! Can I get a loan, Dad?”

Non-fiction BOOK sample BEFORE EDITS

You’ve probably heard of the curious fact about the two hemispheres of the brain. The left half controls the physical movements of the right side of our bodies, and the right hemisphere controls the left side. While most people find this to be an interesting but rather useless bit of trivia, there is a far more fascinating aspect of related research regarding how and why people think the way they do. Individuals tend to be either left or right-brain dominant in their mental thought processes. Although neurologists remind us that this general rule of brain thought orientation does not always apply, it has been documented in a healthy brain the basic alignment of a person’s thoughts can be measured as originating from either the right or left side.

The theory is not without its detractors, but research does indicate that thoughts originating from the left hemisphere are generally grounded in reason, strategy, mathematics, control, and analysis; while those from the right are based on imagination, creativity, happiness, freedom, and emotion. The way one thinks manifests itself as characteristically unique to the individual, which is reflected in their lifestyle choices. Even their choice of pet or interaction with that pet, reflect their general brain orientation. A person who has trained a well-behaved dog is more likely to be a left-brainer than one who dresses their dog in a costume for Halloween, clearly a right brain characteristic. Without intent to act otherwise, we all operate within our natural comfort zones.

non-fiction BOOK SAMPLE AFTER EDITS

You’ve probably heard the curious fact about the cross-wiring of the two hemispheres of the brain. The left half controls the physical movements of the right side of our bodies, and the right hemisphere is in charge of the left side. While most people find this to be an interesting but rather useless bit of trivia, there are related research studies that illustrate far more important insights into how and why people think the way they do. Individuals tend to be either left or right-brain dominant in their mental thought processes. Although neurologists remind us that this general rule of brain-thought orientation does not always apply, it has been documented in healthy brains that the basic alignment of a person’s thoughts can be measured as originating from either the right or left hemispheres.

The theory is not without its detractors, but research suggests that thoughts originating from the left hemisphere are generally grounded in reason, strategy, mathematics, control, and analysis, while ideas bubbling up from the right side are based on imagination, creativity, happiness, freedom, and emotion. The way one thinks is unique to the individual, which is reflected in their personality and actions. Even their choice of (and interactions with) a pet reflects their general brain orientation. A person who has a well-behaved trained dog is more likely to be a left-brainer than one who dresses their dog in a costume for Halloween (clearly a right brain characteristic). Without intending to act a certain way, we all operate within the outlook dictated by our brain orientation.

How-to Book Before revisions

The first step in clean water to households requires that the source of the water be safe. That is, it is important that the water source be sealed in such a manner that contaminants such as animal fecal matter and other debris cannot easily enter the source via overland flow.

Rainwater that falls on a field containing animal fecal matter will contaminate the surface water that runs off from the field. This polluted water may flow into a drinking water source such as an uncovered water well or an open channel.

For example, listed below are recent instances when a safe water source became polluted – sometimes with devastating consequences.

• In January 1987, twenty percent of the 65,000 residents of Carroll County, Georgia suffered severe intestinal illnesses caused by the Cryptosporidium protozoan. The parasite had transmitted via the public water system. A subsequent investigation by the CDC led to suspicions that the contamination resulted from either infected cattle bathing in a river or a sewage spill.

• In March 1993, the largest outbreak of Cryptosporidium protozoan in U.S. history occurred in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. More than 400,000 residents suffered severe intestinal illnesses – including stomach cramps, fever, diarrhea and dehydration – and 69 people died (most of them elderly or with compromised immune systems). The suspected cause was runoff of animal waste from pastures entering the municipal treatment plant.

• In April 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan found itself at the center of a severe water crisis when – in a cost-saving move – the city switched from Detroit’s system to the contaminated Flint River. The foul-smelling, discolored and off-tasting water was piped into Flint for some 18 months, producing skin rashes and hair loss in residents who dared drink it. Water samples collected in 252 homes indicated spiked levels of lead and bacteria. In September 2015, blood-lead levels in children citywide had nearly doubled in 17 months. The city’s corrective measure for the bacteria – adding more chlorine – created elevated levels of cancer-causing total trihalomethanes (TTHM).

how-to Book After revisions

The first step in ensuring clean water for households requires that the source of the water be safe. Central to that approach is that the water source be sealed in such a manner that contaminants cannot easily enter the source via overland flow.

Contamination typically occurs when rainwater falls on a field containing animal fecal matter, which is then transferred to the surface water run off. This polluted water may then flow into a drinking water source such as an uncovered water well or an open channel, leading to illness and even possibly an outbreak.

One might think that the lack of safe water would be a problem only in developing countries. Yet waterborne disease can erupt into an epidemic anywhere in the world.  Consider the following incidents right here in the U.S. when a safe water source became polluted:

• In January 1987, twenty percent of the 65,000 residents of Carroll County, Georgia suffered severe intestinal illnesses caused by the Cryptosporidium protozoan. The parasite had been transmitted via the public water system. A subsequent investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) led to suspicions that the contamination resulted from either infected cattle bathing in a river or a sewage spill.

• Six years later in March 1993, the largest outbreak of Crypto in U.S. history occurred in Milwaukee. More than 400,000 residents suffered severe intestinal illnesses and 69 people died. The suspected cause was runoff of animal waste from pastures entering the municipal treatment plant.

• And in certainly the most famous recent case of contaminated water in the U.S., in April 2014 the city of Flint, Michigan found itself at the center of a crisis when – in a cost-saving move – the city switched its drinking water supply from Detroit’s system to the contaminated Flint River. The foul-smelling, discolored and off-tasting water was piped into homes for some 18 months, producing skin rashes and hair loss in residents who dared drink it. Water samples indicated high levels of lead, and by September 2015, blood-lead levels in children citywide had nearly doubled. Bacteria was also detected in the water, but the city’s corrective measure – adding more chlorine – created elevated levels of cancer-causing total trihalomethanes (TTHM).

All of these instances—and scores more—can all be traced back to compromised water sources.