Book review: Call of the Running Tide
“I’m passionate about the past, grateful for the present and look forward to a bright and prosperous tomorrow.”
Call of the Running Tide, written by Louis Johnson, and one of the latest publications from the Shetland Times sold out soon after it was released just before Christmas, has been brought back into stock with a hasty reprint.
Call of the Running Tide is Louis’ memoir, a collection of memories, stories from almost 90 years, from his early boyhood memories growing up on a small croft to his retirement which has seen travel and adventure at every turn. The book weaves its way through the decades, as Louis embarks on a 34-year teaching career, predominantly spent in the small North Roe school where he was headteacher for 28 years.
Louis grew up in a Yell that was hung in the throes of a bygone era, on the cusp of a collision of social changes that saw great changes brought to rural communities. With the onset of the Second World War, that rocked even the most remote areas of Shetland, the introduction of the motor car, and radio broadcasts that related news from faraway places. The steady march of modernity, and the changes that it brought to this corner of Yell, are fondly remembered by Louis whose school days were punctuated by adventures in the burn, beachcombing, and the warmth and love of extended community who he recalls fondly.
His early years didn’t reach far beyond the hill daek at Otterswick where he grew up on the croft at Midgarth, yet his young life and mind were nurtured by the family, teachers and church, setting him up for success as he embarked on the great journey to the Anderson Institute (high school) and, beyond that, to university in the bright lights of Aberdeen.
His first memory of university was being shamed by the chief librarian as the boy from Shetland who had never seen a train – as this was his first trip away from home, what else could be expected. Despite being far from home, in an unknown city, he thrived at university and returned home with a teaching qualification under his belt, and set to work teaching students in Lerwick, Fetlar, Urafirth and, finally, North Roe where he remained as head teacher for 28 years, until his retirement in 1990.
The call of the running tide has greatly influenced Louis, his family and friends and this is a common thread that weaves the book together, holding each part of the story together, binding his early boyhood to his retirement where he returned to Midgarth, his childhood home, bringing his story full circle in the same way that the tide ebbs and flows.
The book concludes with with a selection of Louis’ own poems and prose, many relating to the people and events that pepper the pages of this beautifully-crafted book. My favourite, if pressed to choose, was the one called Helen’s Hands where he describes the hands of Helen Jamieson who he describes as a “remarkable lady” who lived to the ripe old age of 105. He concludes the poem with:
“Da years muv on …
Nae mair noo da guteen at da station, da paet hill or da coarn rig.
Nae mair da mylkin, kirnin, washin, ironin, da hey dess or da stack.
Dat busy haands ir restin noo apon her lap, a rest at dey sae weel deserve.
But still daday, Helen’s haandclesp’s just da sam,
Firm an foo o wylcom, foo o love.
Hit’s hard ta tink 103 years, nae less, ir passed
Fae first dat haands, dat strong yit gentle haands,
Reached oot ta greet da day.”
For a historian, a memoir offers a unique glimpse into society at the time, beyond that of the dry statistical accounts and press reports. It offers a human perspective, a tangible taste of the past and the everyday experiences of ordinary folk.
I hungrily devoured this book in one sitting, binging on it over Christmas in the same way as you might binge on a family-sized bag of snacks, with one chapter leading to another, one taste leading to another, and before I knew it, I’d reached the end. It’s little wonder it sold out no sooner than it had hit the shelves.
We often fail to realise that we are living through history with the passing of each year, but one day, our lives today, at this moment, will form a beautiful and poignant memoir, like Louis’, that will bring back feelings of a bygone era to the reader.
I loved this book, it offers so much hope and faith from a man who has given so much to the children of Shetland, the communities he has served, and the Methodist Church that has always nurtured and led him.
Speak soon,
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