An Interview With Jake Frankel
Know and understand the movement issue deeply in all aspects. Gain experience with it, read about it, talk to others, look for any research data specifics, if applicable . Give your proposed movement some real life based on experience. You have to feel it strongly, live it.
As part of my series about “How to write a book that sparks a movement” I had the pleasure of interviewing Bruce K. Berger, Ph.D. Bruce is a US Army Veteran, Multi Award-Winning Author, Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama, and Former Communications Leader. He served in the US Army from 1969 to 1971, including one year in Vietnam, where he worked in the Casualty Branch of the 101st Airborne Division in Phu Bai. As a next-of-kin editor, he wrote hundreds of sympathy letters to grieving families back home for the loss of their soldier and helped Graves Registration teams gather fallen brothers on battlefields. His latest book, Brothers Bound, is an emotionally rich and transformative journey that showcases the brutality of war and resiliency of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming challenges. His poetry book, Fragments: The Long Coming Home from Vietnam, was awarded the Gold Medal for Best Book of War Poetry by the Military Writers’ Society of America and named one of the 20 Best Vietnam War Books of all time by Book Authority in 2023. He is also the author of In Our Dreams We Read, which explores adult illiteracy in Alabama, and two academic books about communication leadership: Gaining Influence in Public Relations and Public Relations Leaders as Sensemakers. Today, Berger is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama, where he taught communications and public relations for 17 years and was founding director of The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. He has received several national awards for his teaching and research.Before entering academia, Berger spent 20 years as a communication leader for two global corporations. He was Director of Worldwide Human Health PR at The Upjohn Company (1975–89) and Chief Communication Officer for Whirlpool (1989–1996).. He worked on diverse projects in more than 30 countries.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you share the “backstory” of how you grew up?
I grew up in Centreville, Michigan, a small rural community. Everyone knew everyone else in what was a largely friendly and supportive community surrounded by farms and forests. My father was a world War II veteran who became an electrician and plumber. I learned discipline and hard work from him. My mother was a piano player and a part-time elementary school teacher, from whom I inherited a love of words and music. I had an older sister and younger brother, and we often played outside in the neighborhood with other children. Seven aunts and uncles and their families lived within a 50-mile radius.
We worked at young ages mowing lawns, raking leaves, working in gardens, and other chores. We were serious students in school because we wanted to go to college. In comparison with today’s world, it was a quiet time and place with seemingly more shared values and beliefs. The media consisted of local newspapers, early TV, and radio, a source for growing rock and roll music. The population of the U.S. then was about half of what it is today. It was a different country in many respects.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story?
No single book inspired me as a youngster. Rather, my inspiration at a very young age was driven by the overall power of books and readings. Books provided brand new worlds, people, ideas. My mother taught us to read at an early age, and she read us stories and poetry nightly. I remember being struck at a very young age simply by the sounds and rhythms of words I didn’t even understand. She walked us weekly to a nearby library to arm up with books.
The first book that impacted my life (in my teens), was a diary written by my great, great grandfather who was captured and imprisoned during the Civil War. The imagery, the feelings…reached me deeply a century later. What kept him alive, I wondered? I was inspired by his survival.
What was the moment or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
I served in the Vietnam War in 1970. Like most vets, I went home and tried to bury those memories deep in my mind and just move on. About seven years ago I rediscovered in a box in my attic a diary I’d kept in Vietnam, which was filled with images, emotions, experiences. I sat down on the spot and reread the diary. It all came flashing back. I knew then I wanted to write, to share my experiences and revelations in that war about the power of brotherhood love, the incredible light of the human spirit, and the importance of making good differences in others’ lives. I published a book of poetry about the Vietnam war in 2020, and then the novel, Brothers Bound, this year.
What impact did you hope to make when you wrote this book?
I hoped people would come away from the book with a better understanding of how we can make small and good differences in the lives of others — even in difficult times like war, or loss of others. It takes just a breath or two of time to make someone feel better, valued. Maybe a warm smile, sweet hug, kind words, or lending a hand in time of need. These gestures are small but incredibly valuable in the angry world in which we live today. We can let people know they count, their lives matter. Isn’t that important to you?
Did the actual results align with your expectations? Can you explain?
Many who’ve read the book say it has affected them in those kinds of ways: they want to do better with others, be more sensitive, stop attacking others in social media, etc. They want to live in such a way to let others know they value their lives, too. Well, we know that’s far easier to say than to do over time.
What moment let you know that your book had started a movement? Please share a story.
It has taken an important first step by creating greater awareness of the fundamental idea of making life better for others even in the most difficult times.
Recently I was invited to share my story on a Facebook Live session with four women who were talking about being survivors of losing children, serious illness, or other painful losses — how they survived. I was invited to talk about the Vietnam War and the important lessons I’d learned about the drivers of survival, For me those were the power of brotherhood love, the enduring value of good memories, and the incredible power and possibilities of the human spirit.
What kinds of things did you hear right away from readers? What are the most frequent things you hear from readers about your book now? Are they the same? Different?
What I’ve heard pretty consistently from readers and reviewers is that Brothers Bound tells a painful but moving story about two American POWs in Vietnam and how their brotherhood love and human spirits allowed them to survive in their difficult life in a cage and then their jungle escape. They said they had a difficult time setting the book down because they wanted to know what happened next. They thought the story was moving, enlightening. It made some want to reach out to help others.
What is the most moving or fulfilling experience you’ve had as a result of writing this book? Can you share a story?
Both of my books reconnected me with a number of Vietnam war veterans and family members, including one in particular who’s lived a difficult life and kept to himself. I tracked him down and sent him a copy of the book. He read it, cried, called me, and we reconnected. It brought us back together, and we’ve learned and shared so much since then. My hope is the book reconnects others, survivors of wars and other kinds of losses. I hope others will share their light.
Have you experienced anything negative? Do you feel there are drawbacks to writing a book that starts such colossal conversation and change?
Honestly, there are potential negatives or drawbacks to writing any kind of book. I’ve written five books across diverse areas. There are always some critics, some of whom will go out of their way to make sure you know they don’t like your book, or they disagree with the ideas in it. That’s our world. Fair enough. The trick is to not let a few critics or cynics defer you from writing and sharing your thoughts, ideas and hope.
Can you articulate why you think books in particular have the power to create movements, revolutions, and true change?
Books may have the power to create or trigger movements, revolutions and true change. They do have the power to spread the change and attract followers. They can drive or support change because they convey ideas in depth to large numbers of people. Book clubs bring people together to discuss and analyze ideas and topics. In a sense, books “document” the ideas that drive change, which may create movements or spark change. Books get talked about over coffee and meals, in meetings and families, and so forth. I believe books in particular can trigger awareness of issues or problems which may lead to greater change and action. Books also are not as fleeting as radio, TV, social media, films, and so forth. And they live on in libraries.
What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a bestselling writer? (i.e. perseverance, discipline, play, craft study) Can you share a story or example?
Perseverance. Never giving up. I learned this lesson from my father when I was a teenager. I was learning how to pole vault for the track team and found myself unable to cleanly clear a 7-foot height in a practice pit in my backyard. My father, 50 at the time, came home from work and watched me try and fail twice to clear the bar. He asked me what I thought the problem was. I told him, “I think my form is good, but I’m starting to think I just can’t do it. Maybe I can’t do it.”
My father took the pole and dressed in work clothes and heavy black work boots, he started jogging slowly toward the bar, looking pretty foolish. But he suddenly picked up speed, planted the pole in the vaulting box, pulled back and then soared smoothly, beautifully, like a young bird over the bar! I was stunned. “How’d you do that,” I asked?
He walked over to me, handed me the vaulting pole, then said: “Never let anyone or anything convince you there’s something you cannot do. Never.”
After several attempts the next day, I clumsily soared over the bar. That powerful lesson I learned at age 15 is still vivid in my mind. Never give up.
What challenge or failure did you learn the most from in your writing career? Can you share the lesson(s) that you learned?
With one of my books, after receiving nothing but 4- and 5-star reviews, I suddenly received a 1-star review. It was a bitter, really quite nasty review that said the book was too sermonizing, the dialogue wasn’t real because people didn’t talk that way, etc. It devastated me when I first read it.
I talked about it with a literature professor and author who’d read my book. He shook his head and said, “Your book is moving and inspirational. Just remember, sometimes book reviews tell us a whole lot more about the reviewer and their beliefs and attitudes than they do about the quality or value of the book itself. This is one of those times. You’ve read it. Now forget it. Just move on.”
Many aspiring authors would love to make an impact similar to what you have done. What are the 5 things writers need to know if they want to spark a movement with a book? (please include a story or example for each)
1. Know and understand the movement issue deeply in all aspects. Gain experience with it, read about it, talk to others, look for any research data specifics, if applicable . Give your proposed movement some real life based on experience. You have to feel it strongly, live it.
In Brothers Bound I wanted to get a better sense of the theme of brotherly love and its role in saving lives and the hopes and dreams of soldiers in Vietnam. So, I drew from my own experiences, read at least 20 books written by soldiers in Vietnam, watched movies of the war, and talked with dozens of military veterans to learn about their experiences and thoughts in these areas of brotherly love and making positive differences in the lives of others.
2. You also need to know how to bring the movement to life for others across the country. So, what characters, imagery, experiences, dialogues will help capture the attention of readers, and bring it to life in your book? Again, for Brothers Bound, I spoke to many soldiers and some of their spouses or other family members. How did they see brotherly love being expressed in the military? What examples could they provide of people who believed and practiced making small but good differences in others’ lives?
Then talk to more friends and neighbors to learn what kinds of good difference makers they are. How do they do it? Do they believe it’s valuable. One discouraging finding among those I talked with was that nearly half clearly stated they thought it was probably a good idea, but they didn’t have time to do it. Or they believed it was a waste of time. What was in it for them?
3. Another requirement is to understand how to make your issue or movement attention-getting. Capturing attention is increasingly difficult in our noisy, fast-paced, and multiple-channels world. In addition, breaking news happens so often that people increasingly just ignore it. People live on their phones, talk and chat, constantly. Noise and distraction surround us. How can your book/movement break through the noise?
One approach I used in this regard was to create an unusual but very appealing character. Hues, one of two central characters in the book, was called “Hues” because he carried virtually every color in his blood line: black, white, brown, yellow, red, etc. “I am everyman,” he told all. His language, joking, walking the streets and singing his Psalms, represented a unique and appealing character who helps distinguish the book.
4. Know or identify potential allies for your movement. Who might be most interested? Who can help spread the written word into meetings, clubs, other publications, and so forth.
I’ve approached other veterans. I am working to obtain reviews from vets. I am setting up speaking opportunities at veterans organizations, libraries, hospitals, and so forth literally across the country. Seeking out allies is part of your daily work.
5. Finally, to drive awareness, and recruit supporters, one must make all aspects of the movement work together…and live it daily. You must become a role model for the movement in your own life. Make at least one positive difference in the life of someone each day: smile often, help someone lift something, say “thank you” or “bless you,” run an errand, say a brief prayer for a family or group, and so forth.
The world, of course, needs progress in many areas. What movement do you hope someone (or you!) starts next? Can you explain why that is so important?
What I’m going to suggest may sound totally impossible, so much so that some will find it foolish or laughable. The movement I hope for is one that reduces hate among people and helps us learn to understand the value of life for each other. Our world today is so divided, angry, bitter, and warring that we’ve reached a point where people loudly and proudly declare their hatred for someone who doesn’t share the same political beliefs, religious beliefs, and values as they do.
This is expressed most sharply today in the campaign practices and habits of our so-called political leaders at all levels; who can most loudly out hate and out lie the other? This has affected our entire nation. Hatred has become contagious. And hatred continues to drive wars, assaults, murders, and so forth. As one of the characters asks in my book: “Did you ever imagine we might actually be living in hell in this world today?” I wish someone would author a book that would launch a successful anti-hate movement.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Under the name of Bruce K. Berger, I have accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and “X” (twitter). I also have an author website at: https://www.brucebergerbooks.com
Thank you so much for these insights. It was a true pleasure to do this with you.
Bruce K Berger On How To Write A Book That Sparks A Movement was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.