Thursday, June 2, 2011

Prolific Literary Party Starter Dr. Peter John Releases “Search Me”.

Some call him the mix master of modern day social media, while others refer to Dr. Peter John as a seasoned communicator driving the political agenda to see how many people he can make happy while invading the inevitable. Fame and popularity has not come easy for Dr. John, aka P’Ta Mon, as he grew up in an environment of poverty, in St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. After moving to the United States, he just knew life was all up hill, but as reality would have it, his ideals of a rich and prosperous life was traded for yet another hot bed of ill stricken wants and needs that motivated him to pursue several degrees, a flamboyant life style and a bevy of materialistic possessions that many dream of, but find more than difficult to achieve. Today, after accepting his shortcomings and capitalizing on his mistakes, dreams to one day become the man whom people would love and respect has brought him full circle. “Search Me- The Art Of The Question”, his latest literary offering has the nation talking, and soon the world through websites such as www.talkcalm.com and tweets on Twitter.

In this highly technological age of tweeting, texting, messaging, and emailing, somehow, believe it or not, many of us have lost the ability to call our neighbor on the telephone and say, “how are you today?’, “can I borrow a cup of sugar?”, or ‘what are you doing this weekend?”. Well Dr. Peter John realized the break down in communication and wrote, “Search Me: The Art of The Question” to discuss and shed light on the many difficulties we, as a community and a people have as it pertains to everyday life. “ As a father, a family man, an educator, a business man, it’s very important to me to communicate to those around me like we use to do, “ says Dr. John. “ As Black men we have a lot of hurt and anger toward people. I’m learning to let go of the past. To let go of the problems and issues that hold us back in society. I am learning to let go as a man. I’m learning more every day about being a good father, and we all have wants needs and desires for the basics, food, shelter, clothing and love. Television exploits a lot of this for us. So in bringing back communication I’m trying to preserve some of what we’ve lost in generations past. There is a hurt everywhere you go. When I moved with my family here from St. Croix, all I saw was good things in America. We were poor, living around drug infested areas, and all that, and when we got here, we got put right back in it. So through working hard I’ve been able to change a lot of that to give my kids something great to look forward to.”

And working hard he has, as Dr. John took education very serious, creating a gamut of careers that have catapulted him to stardom. Moving from St. Croix, the family settled in Harvey, Louisiana, where the surroundings were colorful and deadly at the same time, but this didn’t stop a young ambitious John from pursing his ideas of originality. He began writing poetry, which became infused with Rap and soon came his real voice. His mother also gave good advice about going to school, so he enrolled into LA Tech University for a brief period before joining the Marine Corps. While in the Marines, his father died, which resulted in him hitting his lowest emotional state. This sparked him to begin reaching out by writing music to reconnect to reality. There after he received a BS in Professional Aviation, to later receive a JD from LSU Law School followed by an MBA from the University of New Orleans. “Going to school was my way of climbing out of poverty, “ continues Sr. John. “We have a lot of violence and a lot of problems with our people and kids because we lack opportunity. Lack of communication in some cases is also a cause of failure in our communities”. And he goes further to educate on the differences in his careers. “When I went to business school, it was very competitive. Law School was a lot of pressure. When I got there, my idea was that I knew that the law was not fair and I had this plan that I was going to get all of my people out of jail, but after being there for a while, I had to see the other side of this. Some of our people were bad people and deserved to be in prison. So law School was an eye opener for me. I wanted to be there for everyone, and be able to change the world. My first dream was to fly. I love being an aviator. This represents freedom for me. Beyond that, my passion has always been about helping others.”

Beyond his expertise as a licensed Commercial Pilot, a talk show host, and Criminal and Civil Defense Attorney, Dr. Peter John is an author who wrote his first book, “ Watch Your Step! A Law Book for Teens”. “Before writing this book, I was seeing how many of our young people were getting in trouble, “as he continues. “ A lot of them were missing fathers at home, no role models, plainly stated, mothers were single parents. The media glorifys entertainment; sex, athletes, money and all these things, and therefore the kids are getting mixed messages. There is no value system. So I put this book together to show kids that going to jail was not the way to go. And I’ve gotten a lot of good reviews from it and a lot of people like it. With my latest “Search Me- The Art Of The Question”, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but it’s simple this book teaches you to talk and listen. It’s about communicating. We as a people have to get rid of words that judge people, and cross-examine people. Communication is the key, we have to be willing today to sit with our young people and have a conversation. They have to take the time to talk to us. No tweeting, text messages, My Space, Face book or any of that. The Internet is a great tool that allows us to make people aware and educated, but we have to limit ourselves. With hosting a radio show, I get the opportunity to not only find out about others lives, but it gives me a chance to look at my own life, and then help people”. In review, “Search Me- The Art of The Question” is a coffee table stylebook chunked full of thought provoking ideas that will keep you entertained.

For those of you who feel the urge to talk, Dr. Peter John is always open for a good conversation. His radio talk show airs on the Gulf Coast’s Power 102.9FM radio. There’s also the website www.talkcalm.com (Communicate And Learn Through Mediation). For the future he leaves these words with the youth, “look in the mirror, and identify what you do well, believe in it, have faith and work at it to be the best that you can be. Foremost in all the things that I do, I’m conquering my demons thru conversation and communication”. Dr. Peter John’s books are available in bookstores nationwide.

1 comment:

Frances Tate said...

Peter is an inspiration and an example to be followed. He once said to me "Everything I've ever wanted to do, I've done", which was the most amazing claim I'd ever heard anyone make.