A Book and a Child

"Every book is like a child" a phrase goes and I seem to be hearing a lot of it. It must have been started by people who have raised a child or written a book. But anyone who has done both knows that although books and children are creations, there the similarity ends.

A book is a creation of the author's imagination. The input depends on the author's genetic make-up, his character and his experiences. He has ideas and thoughts, he chooses words and the end result is exactly what he has compiled. A child on the other hand is God's (or nature's if you prefer) creation. The input here is the child's make-up (its DNA), the child's experiences and the parent's guidance. A parent may have ideas and thoughts, he can devise a plan or execute a method and put in his best effort. The end result might be close to what he wants, it might be approximate to what he wants but it may well be the exact opposite.

Let's say you want your child to be a non-smoker. You may start by telling him how lethal cigarette smoking is. You show him the harm cigarettes will do to his lungs and throat and how unattractive his fingers and teeth will become. You show him statistics that prove that he stands a good chance of dying from lung or throat cancer or even get burned alive if he falls asleep while smoking in bed. You explain that if he wants to be active while he is smoking, he wastes the use of a good hand. You count up the days of his life he will waste in buying or disposing cigarettes and ashes. You calculate that if he saved the money he will spend on cigarettes in his lifetime, he can buy a house for his children. I did all that, and more, and one day I accidentally met my son in the street and he was smoking! I tried to correct that. Boy did I try! He understands what I tell him, but he keeps on smoking.

Every word, every phrase, every comma in Bird of Prey, my latest mystery thriller, is what I've chosen and sits where I put it. Convince me that there is a better word somewhere and I will easily replace it. A book is certainly a creation, it may even be a work of art, but the bottom line is that it's just an object. It may inspire but not create.

I am sure that Hitler's mom had other plans for her son. Unfortunately, he had a mind of his own.