Living Behind The Beauty Shop

My first novel screenplay follows the life of a Down syndrome boy. He becomes a gifted artist and poet thanks to his ability to connect with another dimension in his dreams. The forms of consciousness in that dimension send him messages and he writes and sometimes draws what he experiences in his dream. His moms begin to realize the boy's Down syndrome gives him the ability to communicate with beings who live in another dimension and he's able to express those communications.

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reviews

by: April Sullivan for Reader Views • November 11, 2010

“Living Behind the Beauty Shop” starts with a Foreword and a Preface that remind you this book is more than just a novel, it is a philosophical book that guides you toward understanding consciousness, humanity, and diversity. I like that. As I read the book, I kept reminding myself of the words set out at the beginning by the editor, Yvonne Perry, and author H.T. Manogue. Manogue says, “As you get into the story you may tune these mystical vibrations to your frequency or you may choose not to. Either way, you can enjoy the world of the Russell family and relate to it in some form of genius.” This was a great way to start a book that stretches your imagination and pushes you to think beyond what you think you already know.

This book tells the story of the Russell’s, an extended family in Nashville. Warren and Claire run Perception Farms, an innovative approach to homelessness through a community setting. Their daughter Cindy and her partner Margie decide to have a baby and ask long-time friend Alan to be the father. Their son is Mase, the main character in the story who chooses to be born with Down Syndrome and provides a connection to the parallel universe of Ofu.

The story of Ofu is woven in and out of the narrative in a gentle way, so as not to bog down the reader with too much heavy consciousness material, but gets the point across very understandably. Mase uses poetry and art to express himself about Ofu to his family and Manogue includes original art and poetry in the book in a thoughtful way. The author is as much a poet and thinker as he is a novelist. He combines all parts with equal importance.

As someone who works in the non-profit sector with artists with disabilities, I appreciate Manogue’s concepts and ideas. His thoughts on people with Down Syndrome choosing their earthly form as it connects them to the otherworld is a great turnabout on the way people normally think about people with disabilities. I attended a Homeless Resource Fair recently and imagined what it would have been like if a place like Perception Farms existed and all of these people had the chance to show their strengths in a community setting of that sort.

“Living Behind the Beauty Shop” is not your typical novel. But why should it be? We all need to move beyond the typical and let our dreams take us to what is waiting for us, if only we could let ourselves be free.

by: Margrit T. Rueger • May 14, 2011

There are farsighted pioneers who courageously and passionately follow their visions to the benefit of humanity. The enlightened author of this book is a wonderful representative of this category, insofar he takes the reader upon untrodden paths to unveil the beauty of hidden parallel worlds and dimensions. What seems science-fiction will captivate you so intensely, that your mind will transform it into reality.

This aspect interweaves with many very real issues of our so-called civilized society.

After reading H.T. Manogue's book you will know within your heart that it is actually possible that this world of ours can be saved. More so, you will probably want to make a difference too and if you are already a light worker you will be able to spread your message even with more enthusiasm and induce others to dedicate their precious time to open their hearts to the giant task of bringing love and justice into this world.

In the very moment I closed the book after I finished reading it, I experienced an instant longing for the wonderful characters that rendered this novel so intensely vivid. H.T. Manogue has an astounding talent to handle everything with infinite intelligence and kindness. He enriches us to a degree where we see the multicoloured world in a new light, where all the apparent differences become precious moments of unity and where the common denominator is Love.

To read this book means to discover a new approach to life. Let the wonderment for life's beauty and its kaleidoscopic gifts enter your heart by reading this book!

by: WriterByNature • March 18, 2011

This novel weaves not just characters, but universes, in a tale that opens the reader's eyes to another way of seeing. The title itself is a metaphor.

We follow the life of protagonist, Mase, who has Down Syndrome, and his non-traditional family, who handle the challenges they face in surprising, but productive ways. Much of Mase's ability to bridge two universes is expressed through poetry and drawings with the help of his alter-ego, Alfie.

Author H.T. Manogue writes: "Choices create our experiences, but beliefs and perceptions as well as the influences surrounding those beliefs change each experience." The epiphanal moments that open each character's heart to embrace their personal truth, invite the reader to view the world through the eyes of someone they may never have met before.

We watch Mase not only navigate these separate universes, but create a portal through his poetry and art, allowing those closest to him to share his experiences. This all happens in a setting that evolves into a sustainable community where nothing that can be used is thrown away and no one is cast out.

Because the hero, Mase, has DS, much of the magic of this tale is in how this physical manifestion, once thought to be eveidence of mental disability, may very well be evidence of an advanced thought process.