Chicago Catholic Story on The Brown and White by Lawrence Norris

 Chicagoland

Mount Carmel alum writes a ‘fictionalized memoir’ of his days at the school

byline Chicago Catholic

July 17, 2017

Larry Norris was a freshman at Mount Carmel High School in 1967-1968, a year that was pivotal in Chicago’s history. He recalls that history 50 years later in “The Brown and White” (2016, Sporting Chance Press), a “fictionalized memoir,” seen through the eyes of Collin Callaghan, a freshman at what Norris calls St. Mary’s College Prep. But the school, and, indeed, the South Side neighborhoods that the eponymous “Brown and White” school bus traverses, are clearly rooted in Norris’ experiences as an adolescent in an unsettled time.

Norris answered questions about his book by email for Chicago Catholic.

Chicago Catholic: You call “The Brown and White” a “fictionalized memoir” and you changed the names of not only people, but also the high school and other Chicago landmarks. Why did you want to make some of it fictional instead of writing a straight memoir, and how much did you change?

Larry Norris: I wanted to write a book like John Powers’ “Last Catholic in America” and “Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up” in that the people who are characters can recognize themselves, but it would be up to them. I also wanted the book to be of interest to a wide audience.

From my publishing experience, books are more powerful when they are organic -- when each reader brings into the mix his or her own experiences as the book is being read. When I read Powers myself, I thought about our Catholic culture and some of the things were so funny, yet so true. It was post Vatican II and things were a bit wobbly.

It also seemed easier to think about Power’s fictitious Seven Holy Hills and not to get hung up on the fact that his experience was at St. Christina and Brother Rice. Sometimes when you write about a particular school, that is where your market begins and ends. I love my school, Mount Carmel, but I am hoping the book works for everyone.

Fiction also allows you to round out the edges. It might also make it easier if I get a call from Hollywood and they want to make a movie from it.

Chicago Catholic: You said you’ve been writing this book for 40 years. Why did it take so long for the story to mature? What perspective do you have now that you didn’t have when you started to think about it?

Norris: I was talking to a priest that I knew 40 years ago and he said anyone can make fun of things in writing. I took that to heart and I wanted my book to be a positive book -- although I wanted to keep it real and be funny.

I wrote the various episodes of the book over many years. I was in no hurry; the world had four books by John Powers and several more on Catholic culture. Then, about 20 years ago, I had to take another pass at the entire book because I lost the file.

I went back and spent more time examining the times to describe the setting. I wanted to make sure that the book was about my experience and I wasn't trying to extend too far beyond that. In high school and college, I read a half-dozen books about the black experience. I didn't want to pretend I was the second coming of James Baldwin. So I tried to tell my story, a white boy’s story.

Chicago Catholic: The year you write about – 1967-1968 – was a tumultuous time for Chicago, and much has happened since. How do you think that time changed the city? How did it change Mount Carmel High School, in the near and long terms?

Norris: That's a big question. I had some idea of how the city was changed, but I was very young when that happened. So I guess you could say that much of what I describe was symptoms, not cause and effect.

I wrote about a few experiences that we had and focused on family and teachers. The year's events served as the backdrop, but I kept the book focused a personal level -- not a treatise on the times.

I hope readers will especially enjoy the family stories -- I think that's the strongest part of the book. I have both male and female fans of the book and that makes me feel good.

Mount Carmel survived and not only that, it was able to continue its mission to graduate one class after another of "Men of Carmel." Huge improvements have been made with gifts by generous alumni and the school now has a beautiful campus.

It’s blocks away from the site of the future Obama library. The student body is an ethnic alchemy -- students now will get an even better education. The future looks bright. People see Carmel as an athlete’s school, but it is certainly much more than that.

Chicago Catholic: The book covers not only a time of great social change, but also the freshman year of high school – nearly always a stormy time – for your protagonist. How did the turbulence of the time affect you as you were growing up? How did your growing up change your understanding of the times you lived through?

Norris: I kept the book light and wanted to focus on the fact that we almost all survive tough times and we do so with our family, faith, friends and help from others like teachers. In high school, there is also a tendency of not taking things too seriously. Personally, I think the 1960s left many of us shaking our heads and trying to come to some kind of closure, but I am not sure we will see it.

Chicago Catholic: The metaphor of the bus – “the Brown and White” – runs through the pages until, at the end, it stops, replaced without a word. What came to an end for you that year?

Norris: The story of the first year ended with my friends stopping by my house and sitting on the front steps with my parents. The Brown and White is a pervasive metaphor: the bus, the students, school colors, etc. At the end of the last chapter, we are taking a rest after the brown and white boot camp. We saw everything in brown and white.

The epilogue is a critical part of the book's message in that it talks about teachers that gave us everything they had.

"The Brown and White" is available on amazon.com.

The Top of the Book Pyrimid: The Brown and White?

I remember years ago when a Chicago Catholic radio station was getting started it just broadcast non-stop Bishop Sheen programs all day long. I remember seeing actual programs when they first appeared on TV.  My parents loved Bishop Sheen and I don't know how to describe it, but when you watched Bishop Sheen, you were at ease and inspired at the same time.  You felt like it was really cool to be Catholic. 

When I hopped in the car in the early morning about 20 years ago and heard Bishop Sheen once again, it was little different. The signal was not very strong, but it was almost like you were hearing Bishop Sheen come from the grave--he was speaking to me one-on-one. At the time, it was during our short Chicago days of winter and I was always listening in the dark. The lights on the radio glowed on the dashboard as the Bishop talked through all kind of Chicago weather. 

As I get older, I hate to say it, but I do wonder if we will ever have a speaker quite like Bishop Sheen.  I like to think we will. 

If you were a Father Corapi fan, you remember he was excellent as well. Father Corapi could talk about Catholic doctrine and somehow make it clear, painless and interesting.

I suppose everyone has his or her favorite speakers and writers. I am always amazed to see the C.S. Lewis classic Mere Christianity on top seller lists as it approaches 70 years old. As a publisher, I have to say that kind of success is just unbelievable. 

I am an author myself and I certainly don't put myself in the same company as these great authors and speakers. But I will say that when I was writing The Brown and White I was trying to convey the emotions of Catholics at the time in the late 1960s. The world was a very scary place for many of us, but we did find comfort and faith in our homes and with our friends. 

I also tried to capture some of the Irish sense of faith and humor. I hope I did.  On Amazon, I do have some good reviews from people I respect very much. I just need a few thousand people to pay the $12.50 price for the book on Amazon and life will be very good!  

The Brown and White is a fictionalized memoir and when people express a positive view of it, I feel like they would like my family in those days. And I do find that very exciting. Of course, if it turns out I just sell a few hundred copies of the book, I will start feeling a lot smaller. 

Catholic Culture Provides "Stickiness"

Stickiness is a term used to describe how a particular action, communication or experience tends to be remembered -- to stay with someone. It is heavily used term today in marketing circles, but it is also useful for religious discussions as well.

Religion in its most stark and unencumbered state can be difficult for children to absorb and none to easy for adults either. Jesus overcame the "stickiness" problem by using beautiful imagery and parables to evangelize those around him. And his teachings so beautifully recounted in the Bible have helped us absorb and remember the principles of our faith. The Old Testament is also rich in images, stories and poetry.

Catholic traditions build off our Judea-Christian heritage and are enriched by cultural forces from many ethnic groups. The enormous Irish Catholic immigration that came about as a result of the mid-19th Century Famine must have had a huge impact on U.S. Catholics. But establishing the Catholic faith in the United States wasn't easy and it didn't happen over night. The original waves Irish famine immigrants were poorly educated in their own religion and it took a huge influx of Irish priest to establish schools and parishes to educate the masses. An Irish Catholic renewal in Ireland itself in the late 19th century helped insure that later Irish immigrants were better schooled in their faith.

In the same era, other immigrant groups were being educated as well and it was not unusual for Europeans to help sponsor Catholic institutions in the United States. Funds from Germany and other places came into the United States to build schools and churches to keep the Catholic faith alive in our "wilderness."

Religious persecution in Europe took many forms and both Protestants and Catholics took part in them. In the United States, Catholics were more likely to be targets of intolerance. Thus, Catholic religious leaders were aggressive about setting up Catholic Schools. It occurred to many that Catholic identity could easily be lost in a country that was predominantly Protestant. The Catholic school system developed and grew. In no small part, the priests and nuns who operated the Catholic schools saw to it that children were educated in the faith.

Bible stories certainly would play a big part in that education, but so would all the sacraments, the ceremonies, the rituals, and other rich aspects of the faith practice. A Catholic call to action would be important. The practice of the Catholic faith would be a large part of everyday life. There were morning, noon, evening and bed time prayers. There was abstinence from meat on Friday and fasting for mass each week. Every Sunday was a day for church and during Lent and Advent many would attend each day. There was the Family Rosary, nightime Novenas, First Fridays, and holy days. Guardian Angels stood at the ready each day. Saints were asked to intercede on all manner of troubles and affairs. The Blessed Mother was called on regularly.

In houses there were crucifixes, religious paintings and First Communion photographs. Each spring, a May altar was set up in a prominent place in the house. Catholics proudly displayed their faith to everyone.

The Faith was also directed externally to helping others--the Corporal Works and the Spiritual Works of Mercy are examples of how Catholics were taught to take action for others.

All these things helped provide a "stickiness" in Faith.

Stained glass window from Immaculate Conception Church,Cottonwood, Arizona.