Title: Berdichev to Basildon
Author: Eric Moonman
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-5446-8505-8
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
Pages: 108
Reviewed by: CC Thomas
Pacific Book Review
In Berdichev to Basildon, Eric Moonman has managed to do almost the impossible in this negative politically charged world. He comes across as a likeable human being with his heart in the right place. It is so easy to be cynical in this media age as every turn of the TV channel and every click of the mouse brings yet another story of corruption, perversion and ethical malfeasance. Do politicians actually want to help their constituents or is this a left-over myth from elementary school when patriotism through service was taught as the main purpose of government? Moonman shows for some politicians at least, service for the common good is still alive and well.
Moonman was the son of an immigrant who ran a milk delivery service in Liverpool. Quite frankly, these chapters are so fascinating, the book could have ended there and a reader would have felt well served. The chapters are told with equal doses of hilarity and humility. Reading about hard workers pulling themselves up by their own boot straps and making a life and career is a story sadly lacking in most of today’s modern tales. Moonman’s family history is so very interesting and I hope a future book might delve more into this part of his life. As an American, this reader often takes for granted such stories and never thinks how immigrants might have fared in other countries.
Moonman was bombed out of his home as a young boy and his family started a new life in a new country. Faced with financial challenges, the author left school at 13-years-old and started to work for the war effort. His first jobs were as a “newsie”—selling newspapers. From there, his education and rise in the publishing industry shaped his future life and created in him an interest in politics. What inspired this interest in a political career was this first stint as a newsman and reading about the stories on his own front pages. He dedicated his life to “the ideas of a fairer and just society.” Most of the book revolves around Moonman’s political efforts to bring to fruition policies that would create a better life for those within his governmental influence. Don’t think the book is just one political treatise after another. Throughout, Moonman gives interesting peeks into living a life alongside the most famous in history and the entertainment world. His reminisces from destitute immigrant to policy-maker clearly show that the twists and turns of life is an adventure, and one that can never be properly planned for.
Moonman’s Berdichev to Basildon is much more interesting than a “load of tripe and onions,” even for a political autobiography. He brings grace and humor to the governmental landscape and the book is a good reminder of what there is to love about government and a life lived in service to the people.
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