Title: Sacred Kingdom
Author: K.C. Smith
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1-5035-0987-0
Pages: 426
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
Reviewed By: Susan Hart
Pacific Book Review
“I have always been looking for that key to unlock the straitjacket or die that I am cast with, to come out someday and grow like a seed that germinates and breaks the surface of the earth to mature into what it can become,” writes author K.C. Smith in his memoir Sacred Kingdom detailing his life’s struggles with mental illness along with the major depression which came with it.
That statement sets the tone for this comprehensive narrative about his life as an adopted child and the struggles he faced coming to terms with “being given away.” It’s a sweeping tale that begins in the Town of Harvey in Australia where Mr. Smith grew up in a longstanding and well-known local family who owned the local dry cleaners. We get an in-depth view of family history, the town of Harvey, the local region and various parts of Australia.That background sets the stage for the unfolding drama of Mr. Smith’s, née Philip Mark Endersby, young life replete with details on his compulsion with playing the saxophone in a traveling band, his timidity around girls, hunting and fishing exploits with friends and family, his love of horses and his apprenticing work as an electrical fitter. Throughout, there are long narratives from family members, friends and doctors about him, photographs, as well as images of report cards, awards, special commendations and various other items of note about his life.
All of that information comes in a stream of consciousness-type data dump that showcases the anxiety and obsessive compulsive chaos swirling in his psyche. In one particularly stressful time in his 20s he is overcome with depression, incapable of getting himself out of it and reaches out for professional help. At one point, Mr. Smith seeks help from clairvoyants and there is a huge amount of space allocated to his word- for-word conversations and a detailed description of what each zodiac sign stands for. As he comes to terms with managing his illness, he is motivated to find his birthparents, a step which brings some peace and solace to his troubled mind and soul.
His writing at times is dramatic. “I deliberately wrote this book on my knees. I knelt at the side of my bed a symbolic gesture of my life so far … I was down all the time, grinding away in first gear and never being able to go forward…” At other times, it’s haphazard. As a reader, if you can find your way through all of the words and just listen for the author’s voice, it is one of pain and sorrow for a life that never came to be quite the way he anticipated. His life’s expectations rarely aligned with his reality. Inherent in that dilemma is a despondency that permeates this tale and evokes a sadness for his life-long wrestle with mental illness. While not an uncommon story, it is certainly a remarkably unique telling of an illness that affects so many.
“Sacred Kingdom” by K.C. Smith is a must-read book for fans of memoirs and inspirational stories. You will not be sorry you picked it up and started this journey with the author. This book is sure to stir emotions and the need for reflection.
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