My Heart Belongs to Sammy

Return to Homepage			My Heart Belongs to Sammy
			By Joe Di Bona ISBN 978-1-9934936-09-2 Paperback-71 pages- $10.00 This is a series of ruminations about a boy with an unconventional mind of the type that used to be treasured. But today they are feared and medicated.

Although the Introduction tells us that these are stories for children, this is not really a book for children. In a series of episodes from the life of Sammy, we follow him in, presumably, what was his typical experiences from elementary school, middle school, high school, college and on into a career of teaching, a profession for which he has nothing but disdain.

Depending on what time period you were in school yourself, you will either see Sammy as a juvenile delinquent, a Mafia leader in the making; or, genius who really could have been anything from a great financier with the world at his feet to a great inventor or scientist who contributed massive change for good in the world. It is clear that Sammy’s intellect is far superior to those around him and his secondary strength is his ability as a leader and charisma within his peer group.

It really does not matter, however, how you see Sammy because this isn’t really about Sammy. It is a damning statement on the condition of the educational system in America. Easily read in less than an hour, it will grab your attention from the first lines of the Introduction and hold it through the final paragraph.

This could easily be written as a screenplay and go two ways: It would make a good film for training purposes, a starter for discussion, to be used in schools of education in universities across the country. On the other hand, it could also be made into hilarious comedy movie!

My Heart Belongs to Sammy is a very short read (I read it cover to cover in just under an hour). Packed into its 68 pages are thought-provoking ideas that will keep one thinking about the book long after the last page is finished.

This book is dedicated to those individuals who walk though life to the beat of a different drummer. These people are often shunned and the “in crowd” almost always rejects their ideas. Recognition of their brilliance and contributions to society usually comes well after their death.

In five chapters, the reader follows Sammy from grade school to his first teaching assignment. Along the way, Sammy’s innovative ideas and creative thinking produce successful outcomes even in the face of formidable odds. The darker side of being a non-conformist is underlined by Sammy appearing homeless and hungry a great deal of the time.

Perhaps, after reading this book, you won’t be so quick to cast aside the ideas of the Sammy’s you meet in your world. After all, if we never tried anything new, we would still be eating unleavened bread and writing with quill pens.

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