On The Front Lines
In Captivating New Book, Paradise Motel, John W. Whitehead Exposes the Dark Side of Humanity
"[Whitehead] examines life as though it were variations on reality, surrealism, the occult and the agony of relationships gone bad... His Paradise Motel could be real or an imaginary Sartre-type gathering place for the misbegotten."— Grady Harp, Amazon.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.— Paradise Motel (Glass Onion Productions, 2011), constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead's debut book of poetry and illustrations, provides a host of musings on the nature of reality, asking aloud the questions that plague humanity. In exposing the underbelly of the world, Whitehead reminds the reader of the need to reach out to other people. In keeping with the philosophical undercurrent of his legal work, Whitehead's poetry is a condemnation of the evils of the world combined with a commitment to never back down in confronting those evils and to support the oppressed. A new artistic venture for Whitehead, Paradise Motel reflects the same level of thoughtfulness, creativity and intelligence that Whitehead has brought to other ventures. Whitehead's interview about his experiences in creating Paradise Motel is available here.
Paradise Motel is available online as an e-book at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Smashwords.com, as well as several other participating online distributors.
Review copies of Paradise Motel are available to members of the press. For a review copy, call (434) 978-3888 or email nisha@rutherford.org.
"It's an exploration of reality," says Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "The theme that I'm trying to aim for is 'What is truth? How can we know reality? Is there something beyond physical reality?' Of course, I believe that there is."
The book includes a series of poems tied together by the overarching image of the Paradise Motel, a representation of the darker aspects of existence. In combination with illustrations by Whitehead and his son, Joshua, the poetry boldly challenges standard conceptions of every aspect of life, from relationships to religion to materialism. Citing inspiration by poets such as T.S. Eliot, writers such as Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone, painters such as Francis Bacon, and thinkers such as Carl Jung, Whitehead provides a unique perspective on modern society and the trajectory of humankind. In the process, he gives voice to the drive which can be found within all people, the search for meaning.
As Grady Harp concludes in his Amazon review, "Whitehead illustrates his book with colorful, Munch like paintings and shares the illustration duties with the black and white quite fine drawings of Joshua Whitehead. This is a dark piece...but as for creating a space of alternate reality it succeeds."
