Past Forgetting

Past Forgetting is a novel of growth, learning, and compassion. Matt Kaprenske is a young idealist who wants to change the world and right wrongs. When his career as an organizer for anti-war protests is curtailed by false accusations of committing a crime, he reluctantly takes a job as an orderly in a nursing home (which he thinks of as a "dying home"). He hopes to stay only long enough to find something "more meaningful." When the residents and other employees demonstrate more humanity than others he has known, Matt realizes there is more to life than protests and politics. He is especially moved by three old residents: an angry reporter, an ancient businessman, and a crotchety bookkeeper. When a powerful family confronts one of them, Matt is challenged by an offer to make a difference in exchange for keeping quiet about a scandal. Struggling to remain true to his values, he faces decisions about the direction of his life and how far he will go to make have an impact.
About the Author: Bought up on a dairy farm in Bay County, J. R. Rauschert found a home at Michigan State University, where he earned two degrees. In East Lansing he met his wife, Elaine, and discovered a career. He is a retired alternative education teacher, whose work with troubled and under-achieving students taught him far more than he ever imagined. His students definitely marched to the noise of unique percussionists. He has worked on several newsletters as an editor and writer. His column "From the Clutter of J.R.'s Mind" ran for many years in "The Alternative Press," the official publication of the Michigan Alternative Education Organization. In his novels he has created fictional Forest County, Michigan which will serve as the location for his characters and stories. For entertainment J. R. enjoys reading, traveling, the theater, conversations, listening to music, cheering for his beloved Michigan State sports teams, and playing fetch, his version of tennis. Certain he could win America's Got NO Talent, he is quick to sing poorly and to dance as though no one is watching. Major influences on his life include Jesus, Gandhi, ML King, Bernard Shaw, Jane Goodell, Mark Twain, Larry Bell, and Abe Lincoln. An optimist about people and the future, he hates traffic jams, bullies, and bureaucracy. His core philosophies are to "Live Love, and Love Life," and "Never give up." In his alternative school essays he asked readers to recall a motivational speech which told them to, "Remember, even on your very worst day, you are somebody's best hope." (Larry Bell) Besides Elaine, he loves living in the country, Michigan beaches, National Parks, historical sites, and hanging out in bookstores.