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Alumnus
Kates talks about youth in Canada
By Ako Sakurai
On-line Forty-Niner
The life that many
of us could neither imagine nor experience was before students'
eyes in a joyful reading Wednesday, a gift from the critically
acclaimed author of "Don't You Know It's 40 Below?"
Born and raised
up in a small Canadian village of Sheho, Saskatchewan, Jack
Kates, an English alumnus of Cal State Long Beach, visited
a group of Hillel Jewish students Wednesday night at the University
Interfaith Center to talk about his book and his life.
Although he has
toured most major cities in Canada and the United States for
about 80 book signings, Wednesday was his first time to come
and talk with students about his life on the college campuses.
"I feel deeply
honored," Kates said.
Kates has had many
other honors in his life. One of the best honors Kates received
was the famed recognition from Queen Elizabeth of England
in January. The Queen appreciated an autographed copy of the
author's Canadian autobiography.
Another memorable
honor for Kates was the time when 98 people in his native
small village of Sheho, lined up to purchase his book.
"The book
is about the world as I knew it as a child, an innocent child,"
Kates said. "It is a tribute to the Canadian prairies."
"Don't You
Know," describes the first 18 years of Kates' life, the
only son of the only Jewish immigrant family in Sheho during
the Great Depression and World War II.
Without electricity,
running water or indoor plumbing, life was much simpler back
then. When he was a child, Kates would go ice skating
during winter days because there was nothing else to do.
"No one was
in a hurry," Kates said.
In the entire village,
there were only four cars and one telephone in the entire
village.
"We didn't
have to worry about blackouts, the price of gas or to answer
phone calls on time," Kates said.
Two years ago,
Kates visited Canada and saw many changes in his native town.
"It's depressing,"
Kates said.
Now the super highways
are passing through Sheho. In a mere 30 seconds, travelers
may traverse an area four blocks wide and six blocks long
village. Because of the development in highways and transportation,
everyone is moving to bigger cities and now the population
has shrunk, Kates said. Schools have closed down, and
now one of seven stores remains.
Kates read selected
portions of the book while the attendees followed along. Attendees
shared the sense of humor Kates had expressed in explaining
the charming stories such as his first love.
The talk was "very
informative and heartwarming," said Yasmin Gurba, one
of the attendees and a liberal studies major.
The book was published
in October 2000 and became an immediate bestseller in Canada.
It has already been sold out -- except for some extra copies
Kates keeps for the Los Angeles Times Book Fair.
Kates has received
many fan letters asking for a sequel, but he says, "absolutely
not." However, several producers have called to ask for
the book, and they are considering making the story into a
movie or a mini-series.
The author resides
in Cypress with his wife, Marilyn, who he met at CSULB. The
book can be purchased through amazon.com.
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