Welcome to my Book site!!
Vegan peace and love
SPOKEN
A Memoir Sprinkled with a Little Quadriplegia
Description
Dive deep into a universal tale of resilience, introspection, and connection: A journey from the heartland that resonates with every soul.
Every life is a tapestry, woven with threads of experiences, decisions, triumphs, and challenges. In this candid memoir, the author invites readers on a transformative journey through the complexities of human existence. Hailing from the Midwest, his narrative isn’t bound by the plains of Nebraska but resonates universally, echoing the sentiments of Melanie Joy PhD: "We are all guilty and innocent, perpetrators of some problems, victims of others, and heroes in various ways."
While some may question or even challenge the author's perspectives, choices, or very character, it's the multidimensional layers of his life that bridge the gap, fostering an undeniable bond of commonality. It's a story that speaks to the liberals and conservatives, to the critics and the thinkers, to the activists and the silent observers. It resonates with those touched by disabilities, with Nebraskans and midwesterners, and with anyone who's ever grappled with their place in the vast tapestry of society.
Whether you're a lover of memoirs or new to the genre, this book beckons with its raw honesty and profound reflections, reminding readers of the shared human experience. It calls to those who seek to understand, to connect, and to find themselves in the stories of others. More than a narrative, it's an exploration of the self, a beacon for critical thinkers, and an anthem for those who believe in the power of empathy, introspection, and change.
In a world fragmented by differences, this memoir stands as a testament to the universality of human experiences and emotions. A read that is bound to leave an indelible imprint, urging one to ponder, reflect, and ultimately, connect.
How to get my book?
Paperback/Hardback/Ebook
My online book launch date is May 14th, 2024! My book is available many places online such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart etc! I also have several collector item paperback books available, which I will deliver for free in Lincoln, Nebraska.
**UPDATED 06/19/24**
1. LIVE Online Q&A w/ Author Robert A Rieck Jr Friday, Jun 21, 2024 • 7:00 – 8:00pm Central Time.
https://facebook.com/events/s/live-online-qa-w-author-robert/1674684803341054/
2. Robert A Rieck Jr will be an attending author at a Barnes & Noble event called "Local Author Fest!" 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
https://facebook.com/events/s/local-author-fest-at-barnes-no/1166802447836938/
**NOTICE - All the profits from online book sales (paperback, hardback and ebook) are going directly to Twenty-One January A Farm Rescued Animal Sanctuary! Check out the sanctuary here:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067230244623
If you'd like to participate and help me with the publishing cost, please do the following:
1. Choose which level of participation you would like to participate in below (Level 1 through 5).
2. Send me the payment through PayPal using this email address - wordupchilli@gmail.com or Venmo using @VeganQuad (include your contact info).
Level 1 $30* (participation limited to 39):
- Free collector's item paperback book with the author's dated mouth signature authenticating prints #20 through #50.
- An ink stamp in the book signifying you as an "Official Author Sponsor."
*Please add $5 for shipping if you live outside of Omaha or Lincoln, Ne.
Level 2 $45* (ONLY 1 BOOK LEFT IN THIS LEVEL):
- Free collector's item paperback book with the author's dated mouth signature authenticating prints #6 through #10.
- Personalized thank you message from the author.
- An ink stamp in the book signifying you as an "Official Author Sponsor."
*Please add $5 for shipping if you live outside of Omaha or Lincoln, Ne.
Level 3 $60* (ONLY 1 BOOK LEFT IN THIS LEVEL):
- Free collector's item paperback book with the author's dated mouth signature authenticating prints #2 through #5.
- Personalized thank you message from the author.
- A professionally edited version of the original PDF book with color photos.
- An ink stamp in the book signifying you as an "Official Author Sponsor."
*Please add $5 for shipping if you live outside of Omaha or Lincoln, Ne.
Level 4 $75* (participation limited 1):
- Free collector's item paperback book with the author's dated mouth signature authenticating print #1!!
- Personalized thank you message from the author.
- A professionally edited version of the original PDF book with color photos.
- One-on-one 30 minute zoom link with the author for a Q&A.
- An ink stamp in the book signifying you as an "Official Author Sponsor."
*Please add $5 for shipping if you live outside of Omaha or Lincoln, Ne.
Level 5 $100 (SOLD):
- Free collector's item hardback book with the author's dated mouth signature authenticating print #1!!
- Personalized thank you message from the author.
- A professionally edited version of the original PDF book with color photos.
- One-on-one in person with the author for a Q&A for at least 60 minutes.
- An ink stamp in the book signifying you as an "Official Author Sponsor."
*Please add $5 for shipping if you live outside of Omaha or Lincoln, Ne.
**NOTICE: All new & current Official Author Sponsors will be entered in a drawing to receive a 15oz black coffee mug with my mugshot, the front of my book and my signature in either white font on the black cup or black font within the picture! Also, once you are an Official Author Sponsor, for every person you get to be an Official Author Sponsor you earn 5 more entries in the coffee mug drawing!
I want my book to be available to many, including people who have very limited finances or do not want to buy it for whatever reason(s). You can send me an email at veganpeacepress@gmail.com requesting my book in PDF form which has all color photos FREE of charge!
If you ever want to make a donation in appreciation for the time I put into my book, then please consider helping to support a fellow friend who is waiting for some vital organs: https://gofund.me/4ed124c7
Vegan peace and love,
Robert A Rieck Jr
About the Author:
Robert A. Rieck Jr. is a passionate advocate, animal rights activist, and a beacon of resilience hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska. A C5 quadriplegic since 1996, he has transformed personal tragedy into a mission of empathy, service, and advocacy. Beyond his dedication to animal rights and social justice, Robert exemplifies the power of attitude in overcoming life’s challenges. Drawing from his experiences, he crafts narratives that inspire, challenge, and connect, making him not just an author, but a storyteller for the ages.
Why the mask for the Author photo? A little explanation.
I started writing my book during the covid-19 pandemic. Because of this life halting pandemic it ended up being the perfect time for me to stop everything and focus on writing my book with an anticipated time of 6 months to 1 year.
The mask was a protection during the pandemic but it symbolizes hiding our true identity, especially in relationship with how we may conduct ourselves differently depending on who we are around. Sometimes we fear to expose strong beliefs or secrets to certain people because we strongly believe if they knew it might destroy the relationship.
The mask can also represent how solid truths or even different perspectives/lifestyles can be covered up in society because of big money (animal agriculture is powerful).
The mask in the photo has a print of an old school microphone you would sing into. This microphone goes with the title of the book SPOKEN in the sense that I have been 100% transparent in my life within the book and every single word in the book was voice dictated, thus SPOKEN. For me, the word and the book SPOKEN is a liberating piece signifying an end of silence, nothing left unspoken and is a final statement of who I was & am.
Book Review
By Jan Peregrine
"NOTE—I've known the author in real-life for a few years (about where the book ends), socializing as vegans and involved in farmed animal liberation activism. He sent me his 160,000 word book in PDF form in exchange for a honest review. That's the equivalent of 500+ pages (he single-spaced) and so reviewing it for random readers has been invigorating!
NOTE 2: Parental advisory is recommended, as the front cover warns.
Dedicated to Mary Karr, author of the popular Art of Memoir, Spoken: A Memoir Sprinkled with a Little Quadriplegia by Robert Rieck, Jr. quotes Karr as saying that a good memoir will release the feel-good hormone oxytocin as we connect, so to speak, with its author. She may be right.
Some hormone must've been released because I enjoyed it more the longer I read. Maybe that's just because he had better found his irreverent voice.
Or it was the Easy X prototype's captioned pictures of a wheelchair turned sex machine he invented.
Rieck seems to have an encyclopedic memory, helped at times by family, that rivals Bill Clinton's prodigious efforts. Beginning with his birth in small-town Nebraska in the 1970s, he shares what his first words and sentences were and other babyhood milestones (and pictures, which are shared throughout), followed by how much he loved his mother and ignored his kid brother.
There's nothing terribly interesting from a woman's perspective as he describes the games and sports he loved, but I was quite touched by his observing a cicada being born and saving its life from a cicada attack wasp by throwing pebbles at the wasp.
When Rieck shared a very humiliating incident at school that required going home to change clothes, I could feel how humiliated he was.
It finally came out that he was being raised as a Jehovah's Witness and was socially isolated because of it. He also moved often after his parents divorced and he found it very difficult to make friends and had to endure some bullying or teasing. When his older sister married a non-believer, he and the family were forced to “disfellowship” her. I don't know if that devastated him, but they talk today.
I started to find the memoir more compelling with his traumatic experience trying to kill himself at age 21, already divorced, because of emotional turmoil he couldn't deal with and ending up a quadriplegic, unable to much move below his shoulders.
The rest of the memoir relates his journey into life recovering from, denying, accepting, and thriving as a quad. If you've ever wondered about such a life or thought that it was a life you could never survive, then Rieck will show you that his life can indeed be survived with aplomb. From going back to school and becoming a businessman, mouth artist, half-marathon racer, a drug and alcohol counselor, vegan, and animal rights' activist, he's lived his motto of life being ninety percent attitude, ten percent what he called “life.”
I think Robert hopes to encourage others in his life situation, becoming more self-reflective after his injury. He especially reflects on his struggles with intimate relationships and why they don't work out.
I'm kind of in the same situation, although I regained full sensation and have never felt like a Mr. Potatohead, as Robert puts it so wryly. I had my own struggles with relationships and rejections, but I was never in love as Robert so often was.
The memoir ends abruptly, followed by quotes he appreciates to help you live your best life. Why so abruptly? I guess he spoke his truth as he saw it and that's all any of us can do.
I too hope I spoke truth about his memoir so you can decide if it's for you.
Rieck has published Spoken on PDF form that will help charities of his choice."~Jan Peregrine, C3/4 incomplete spinal cord injury. Jan Peregrine's Book Reviews found on goodreads.com.