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We Are The Storm
Walt Unitus is a decent man trying to navigate the turbulent waters of life. He is plagued by bullies, learning disabilities and depression. But he forges ahead, determined to take care of his family, despite the relentless despair that drags him to unbearable depths, so deep that he contemplates suicide. His family comes to his aid and a fierce battle begins. Will Walt’s demons overwhelm him, or can a family’s love make a difference?
287 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2022
About the author
John C. Stipa
24 books239 followersJohn C. Stipa loves the beach, family time, woodworking, playing and coaching sports, traveling, good food and storytelling. He is the author of human resiliency novels including the Age of Storms and Rainbows trilogy, Home Is Where The Hearth Is, When Ink Bleeds, We Are The Storm, The Angel Solution, The Foiled Knight and No Greater Sacrifice as well as a Stipa family history: Johnny No Home. He has also published several short stories with his writing groups.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 23, 2022
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
"When you comin' home, Dad?"
"I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then"
-Harry Chapin
"At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back. Don't aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference."
- Denzel Washington
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby
- Paul McCartney
We Are The Storm is a unique novel. It touches on life struggles that rarely get the spotlight. As I progressed through the book, I became connected to the characters. The impact on other lives is explored, family is very important in this story and there is a touch of the supernatural.
Related Book: Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood by Jeffrey Marx.
Really, it shouldn't have taken me over a year to read We Are The Storm. Count me as an example in point. I do most of my reading via audiobooks.
Favorite Passages:
How did I get to this point?
A multitude of memories seeping through his veins. Recollections that highlighted both the good and the bad moments.
______
"What's wrong, Mom?"
She ruffled his hair. "Nothing. You did great, sweetie. Got an 'A' in Courage."
______
Finally, Walt broke the stillness. "Mom, there's a word on there I didn't understand. It began with a P."
"Perseverance."
_______
"Mom," Walt said, his voice small and timid. "Why does this keep happening to me?"
"I don't know, sweetie," she said pulling him close. "There's a lot of hate in the world. But I'm right here. I've got you now. Nothing's gonna hurt you anymore today."
_______
Alone with his thoughts, his mind drifted. Empty. He closed his eyes. Darkness enveloped him. His body felt lifeless, as if his mattress were afloat on a lake. And then he felt it. For the first time. A perception. An awareness. Of what he could not tell. It didn't seem to come from anywhere, yet it was everywhere. Creeping along the floor, wafting through the air. Nothing between him and the bare ceiling; the only sense of touch his skin on the sheet. There it came again, seeping into his bones. He struggled to make sense of the feeling. A tug. A weight. Constant and persistent. Pulling him down beneath the surface.
_______
"That's the trouble with prophesies, isn't it?" Evelyn said. "They're self-fulfilling."
_______
It didn't take long for the sadness to soak into his limbs. With it came the tug. He imagined it attaching a chain to his leg and pulling him under . . . like an anchor searching for the bottom.
_______
The tug came slight at first, then again, stronger, as if something were crawling beneath his skin, sucking the marrow out of his bones. He slammed his eyelids shut to it.
The demons came anyway.
________
"Oh, Walt, that the world could have more of your honesty in it."
________
". . . the best thing we can do is be active in something that is good for us."
________
Time to move on. Time to be my own crazy son of a gun.
________
A picture of normalcy.
And yet Walt felt sad and disconnected from it. The repeated miscues weighed heavily on his mind.
_______
"Thank you, Daddy," Jenny said, hugging him close. "I love you three days."
"I love you . . . fifteen miles," Walt replied.
Jenny squeezed tighter. "I love you all the numbers."
"Aw," Walt said. "I can't beat that."
_______
"The Lenape gave names to the streams here that roughly translate to good and bad. And the river that's formed where the two merge is called Kwishimao which means choice. Some say the Lenape used to come here to think about their lives."
________
"Well then, what would you say didn't happen?"
"Something weird."
________
"Bullies don't use logic," Walt said.
________
"We can shingle that roof in five hours," Cassell said.
"Guys, no short cuts or sloppy work just to get it done. It's gonna be a family's roof one day so do it right. And no risk taking. Nobody gets hurt or I'll come out there and kick all your collective asses."
________
"I always felt overwhelmed. The world moved too fast."
________
"Walt, why is it that after I announce the day's assignment, you always come up ten minutes later and ask me what are we supposed to do?"
________
"I wish my Mom and Dad were here," Walt said.
"They're here Dad. They're in every tree you planted and every good memory we have. They'll always be with us."
________
Where did this thing, depression, come from? It had to come from somewhere. A person wasn't just born with it, at least not most people.
. . . .
What if depression wasn't caused by chemical imbalances in the brain? What if the culmination of a billion things that happened to a person over the course of their lifetime formed their psyche? Every snub, insult, snide remark; every setback, loss, failure; every argument, every serious illness, every death. If you added all that up and it exceeded some threshold, did a person become afflicted with sadness? And then another thought chilled him.
What if the bastards worked together?
________
"One person's act of compassion has the potential to influence so many other lives."
________
She is a symphony of subtle movements, each idiosyncrasy offering a peek into her soul.
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
"When you comin' home, Dad?"
"I don't know when
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then"
-Harry Chapin
"At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back. Don't aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference."
- Denzel Washington
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby
- Paul McCartney
We Are The Storm is a unique novel. It touches on life struggles that rarely get the spotlight. As I progressed through the book, I became connected to the characters. The impact on other lives is explored, family is very important in this story and there is a touch of the supernatural.
Related Book: Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood by Jeffrey Marx.
Really, it shouldn't have taken me over a year to read We Are The Storm. Count me as an example in point. I do most of my reading via audiobooks.
Favorite Passages:
How did I get to this point?
A multitude of memories seeping through his veins. Recollections that highlighted both the good and the bad moments.
______
"What's wrong, Mom?"
She ruffled his hair. "Nothing. You did great, sweetie. Got an 'A' in Courage."
______
Finally, Walt broke the stillness. "Mom, there's a word on there I didn't understand. It began with a P."
"Perseverance."
_______
"Mom," Walt said, his voice small and timid. "Why does this keep happening to me?"
"I don't know, sweetie," she said pulling him close. "There's a lot of hate in the world. But I'm right here. I've got you now. Nothing's gonna hurt you anymore today."
_______
Alone with his thoughts, his mind drifted. Empty. He closed his eyes. Darkness enveloped him. His body felt lifeless, as if his mattress were afloat on a lake. And then he felt it. For the first time. A perception. An awareness. Of what he could not tell. It didn't seem to come from anywhere, yet it was everywhere. Creeping along the floor, wafting through the air. Nothing between him and the bare ceiling; the only sense of touch his skin on the sheet. There it came again, seeping into his bones. He struggled to make sense of the feeling. A tug. A weight. Constant and persistent. Pulling him down beneath the surface.
_______
"That's the trouble with prophesies, isn't it?" Evelyn said. "They're self-fulfilling."
_______
It didn't take long for the sadness to soak into his limbs. With it came the tug. He imagined it attaching a chain to his leg and pulling him under . . . like an anchor searching for the bottom.
_______
The tug came slight at first, then again, stronger, as if something were crawling beneath his skin, sucking the marrow out of his bones. He slammed his eyelids shut to it.
The demons came anyway.
________
"Oh, Walt, that the world could have more of your honesty in it."
________
". . . the best thing we can do is be active in something that is good for us."
________
Time to move on. Time to be my own crazy son of a gun.
________
A picture of normalcy.
And yet Walt felt sad and disconnected from it. The repeated miscues weighed heavily on his mind.
_______
"Thank you, Daddy," Jenny said, hugging him close. "I love you three days."
"I love you . . . fifteen miles," Walt replied.
Jenny squeezed tighter. "I love you all the numbers."
"Aw," Walt said. "I can't beat that."
_______
"The Lenape gave names to the streams here that roughly translate to good and bad. And the river that's formed where the two merge is called Kwishimao which means choice. Some say the Lenape used to come here to think about their lives."
________
"Well then, what would you say didn't happen?"
"Something weird."
________
"Bullies don't use logic," Walt said.
________
"We can shingle that roof in five hours," Cassell said.
"Guys, no short cuts or sloppy work just to get it done. It's gonna be a family's roof one day so do it right. And no risk taking. Nobody gets hurt or I'll come out there and kick all your collective asses."
________
"I always felt overwhelmed. The world moved too fast."
________
"Walt, why is it that after I announce the day's assignment, you always come up ten minutes later and ask me what are we supposed to do?"
________
"I wish my Mom and Dad were here," Walt said.
"They're here Dad. They're in every tree you planted and every good memory we have. They'll always be with us."
________
Where did this thing, depression, come from? It had to come from somewhere. A person wasn't just born with it, at least not most people.
. . . .
What if depression wasn't caused by chemical imbalances in the brain? What if the culmination of a billion things that happened to a person over the course of their lifetime formed their psyche? Every snub, insult, snide remark; every setback, loss, failure; every argument, every serious illness, every death. If you added all that up and it exceeded some threshold, did a person become afflicted with sadness? And then another thought chilled him.
What if the bastards worked together?
________
"One person's act of compassion has the potential to influence so many other lives."
________
She is a symphony of subtle movements, each idiosyncrasy offering a peek into her soul.
June 19, 2022
Walt Unitus is set upon, early in life, with doubts. With learning difficulties and the black dog of depression nipping at his heels, he becomes a man who works hard, loves his family and cares deeply for those around him. Easily wounded, mistreated and not seen for his real worth all too often, one loss after another makes him consider ending it all. This is a brave story of a brave man, told with care and skill. The author trusts the reader and Walt to assess and weigh life decisions. An excellent novel ,it would make a great Father’s Day gift.
September 14, 2022
Highly recommend!!
I really enjoyed reading “We Are The Storm”! I found it very nostalgic because I grew up in the Abington area and knew so many of the places and people that were mentioned in the book. The author has a great way of drawing you in to the story. The book touches on depression and anxiety. It lets you realize that it doesn’t discriminate and can touch anyone. I would highly recommend!!
I really enjoyed reading “We Are The Storm”! I found it very nostalgic because I grew up in the Abington area and knew so many of the places and people that were mentioned in the book. The author has a great way of drawing you in to the story. The book touches on depression and anxiety. It lets you realize that it doesn’t discriminate and can touch anyone. I would highly recommend!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews