TRUE NORTH PRODUCTIONS RELEASES NEW AUDIO BOOK, NARRATED BY TOM NORTH
December 12, 2017
Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the movie, “Yours, Mine and Ours”, (1968), True North Productions announces the release of the new audio book version of the award-winning, best-selling book by Tom North, True North – The Shocking Truth About “Yours, Mine and Ours”.
Narrated by author, Tom North, the audio book is a compelling rendition of the dramatic true story. Engaging and enlightening, Tom’s narration transports listeners back to the 1960′s, a time of counterculture and revolution.
Only Tom could express the devastation he and his North siblings felt as young children when their father (Dick North) died, and the despair living through the years of their mother’s (Helen North’s) marriage to Frank Beardsley. (Unfortunately, Beardsley was violent and a child molester. How could any child adjust from a loving, idyllic home to a version of living hell?) When the movie, “Yours, Mine and Ours” came out, adding insult to injury, the youngsters were forever living it down – they were thought to be a famous, successful, prosperous and happy family – it was so far from the truth.
Tom shares his adventures in nature and what turned out to be his redemption later in life, his experiences at Maharishi International University (now Maharishi University of Management) and Transcendental Meditation. He takes the listener on a roller coaster ride of emotions as he leads his family members through intense therapy and healing sessions, and opens a path to forgiveness and light.
Especially poignant is the chapter where the North family gathers at their mother’s grave and spills out words and feelings that were unsaid and unexpressed for so many years. North remarks, We vowed once again to never promote the lie that the movie “Yours, Mine and Ours” portrayed about our ‘big happy family’.”
He was finally home, and he tells how shortly after, he changed his name back from the adopted, shameful name “Tommy Beardsley”, to the truth of who he is, Tom North.
The “Light Poem” – I Invite You to Share This Special Gift
For those of you who have a True North bookmark, you will know the “Light Poem”, which is on the back of the bookmark.
For those who may not know it, here it is:
Within each of us, there is a light A light that shines eternal It is the light of the rising Sun It is the light of the full moonTrueNorthBookmark It is the light of the stars In the darkest night It is the light in a mother’s eyes Gleaming at her newborn It is the light between lovers As they embrace It is the light in the path of souls On their journey to the other side
It is the light of Love It is the light of Being It is the light of God See the light Be the light Shine the light For all to see.
I share this with you because this “Light Poem” seems to have more applications than I was aware of.
As a volunteer at the Breakthrough Men’s Community, I spend every Wednesday evening helping men work through the issues that have caused their lives to be less than fulfilling. Recently, one of the men approached me at the end of the evening and asked to buy a copy of my book, True North, The Shocking Truth about Yours, Mine and Ours. I went out to my car and brought back a copy which included the bookmark that comes with every book.
My friend shared that he went out to his car, sat down and read the “Light Poem” that is on the bookmark, and immediately called the home of his sister who was dying. When her husband answered the phone, my friend asked how she was doing. Her husband’s response was, “She’s still comatose, and her breathing is labored.” My friend asked the husband to put the phone up to her ear. “But she is in a coma,” the husband responded. “Please, just do it.” My friend insisted.
The husband did as requested. As he held the phone to her ear, my friend read the “Light Poem” to her. As he read the stanza, “It is the light in the path of souls, On their journey to the other side,” his sister took a deep breath, and passed away.
It seemed that hearing the poem gave her permission to follow the light. No one could have known this would happen, but what a glorious event! Looking back, it makes so much sense to me. We are beings of light! We come into this world out of the light and we return to the light. We are not just our physical bodies, but we inhabit them during our journey here on Earth. We are the life force, the light that animates them.
I remember the day I received the “Light Poem”. I was at an Ayurveda Retreat, and had just received a wonderful rejuvenation treatment. While resting afterwards, I began a meditation. Anyone who has a mediation practice will know that it is common for creative ideas and inspirations to come in those quiet, subtle moments as we settle down from the more active thought process into more abstract, deeper levels of the self. It was as though someone had opened a scroll with the “Light Poem” written on it and held it in front of me to read. It appeared all at once.
These inspirations and creative ideas often leave as quickly as they arrive with not a trace remaining after the mediation. I have often had the thought, “I know there was something important that came to me, but I can’t remember what it was.” But in this instance, when I finished my meditation, the “Light Poem” was indelibly etched into my awareness. I quickly got up and found a pen and paper and wrote it down. I think of the poem as a gift that came through me to share with humanity.
I am grateful to have participated in some small way assisting in the passing of my Breakthrough Brother’s sister. I believe that two of the most important events in our lives are when we are born and when we leave this physical plane and return to the light from where we came. I invite you to share this special gift.
See the Light, Be the Light, Shine the Light for all to see!
Blessings to You,
Tom North
Share My True Story. Share Your True Story.
I am constantly being approached by people I know socially or professionally and whom I consider emotionally stable. In every case, they begin a conversation by thanking me for writing True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours”, and then describe their own childhood challenges and experiences with domestic violence and/or child abuse. I find it interesting and inspiring that there is this consistent theme: Readers are moved to look at their own childhood programming and ask themselves the question, “What was my early childhood programming like, and is there something I need to do about it?” This issue, of course, is the main point of my book.
Many readers have shared that they have purchased multiple copies my book and passed them out to their family members. One person asked if she could send her copy to a friend in another state. I assured her that it was her copy and she could do anything she wanted with it. I was amused when it seemed that the light went on over her head and she exclaimed, “I know what I’ll do; I’ll just buy another copy and have it delivered to him!” I smiled at her and congratulated her on a great idea.
While there are bound to be detractors here and there, and people who may not be ready to face the truth of the past, the overwhelming connection that readers have found with my true story suggests that they have discovered within themselves a desire to clear out the errant instructions in their own subconscious, or in the subconscious of someone they know. Either way, this is a positive development that can help us make a difference in the lives of many.
Child abuse and domestic violence in all its forms are very serious problems that have been going on for a long time – there are now millions of child abuse survivors who need help. In my conversation with NAASCA founder Bill Murray on his radio show, “Stop Child Abuse Now”, I was truly moved his commitment to be a helpful resource to those who are struggling with abuse issues. He points out that child abuse knows no boundaries – it is in every corner of our society.
True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours” is not just my story, but is the story of everyone who has suffered from child abuse and domestic violence. If you are reading this blog, you, too, can do something about this devastating epidemic. Share my true story. Share your true story.
I Love Lucy, Too
Last Saturday I enjoyed speaking and signing books at Book Soup in West Hollywood. One of the attendees was author, Michael Stern, who has written a book called I Had a Ball: My Friendship with Lucille Ball
which is about his early life relationship with Lucille Ball, the star of Yours, Mine and Ours. Michael shared with me that when his family moved from a town near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to the San Fernando Valley area of greater Los Angeles, he watched the movie Yours, Mine and Ours and was immediately taken with Lucille Ball. Through one of those amazing and wonderfully fated sequences of events, Michael met Lucille Ball and ended up working for her. (Watch and listen to a YouTube Interview with Michael Stern.)
Tom North and Michael Stern
When she was alive, Lucy referred to Michael as her “very greatest fan” (page 219 of I Had a Ball). One of his concerns was that I might say something unkind or derogatory about Lucy. In our conversation I assured him that no such thing would happen during my presentation about my book, True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours.” In fact, I told Michael that I have only good things to say about the film. It was heart-warming, funny, entertaining hit movie which portrayed a family dynamic that I can only wish had been my experience as a child in the real life Beardsley household.
When I have watched the movie, it has been from an objective perspective, as though I was not connected to it. There is nothing wrong with the film and there are many things right with it. The character of Frank Beardsley, portrayed by Henry Fonda, was a loving, caring, wise and even tempered father figure. Lucy, as my mother, Helen North-Beardsley, was her wonderful self; funny, clever, and perfectly suited to the slapstick scenes included in the film.
The reason that some of my siblings and I referred to the movie as “the big lie”, was not the fault of the film. The difficulty came from the effort by my mother and stepfather to promote the image of the family in the film as their own. What was a problem for me and many of my siblings was the assumption in our community of Carmel, California, and in the minds of movie audiences all over the country and the world, that the real life Beardsley family experience was similar or identical to the movie they saw on the big screen. It was assumed that we were all living a life of harmony, we were all celebrities, and we were rich and living happily ever after.
My experience was so different from the film that I could not reconcile it in any way at all. As a boy I remember an incidence where I listened to a little girl at the baseball park near my childhood home say to me, “It must be wonderful to have such a big family! And to have all the attention you get from the movie!” I just stared at her and moved away, mumbling something like “Yeah, sure.”
No one in the community knew that horrific domestic violence and child abuse was an almost daily event in the Beardsley household and that the children were miserable and fearful for their safety much of the time. My childhood friend, Harry Goulding, who also attended the book signing at Book Soup, shared with those in attendance that until he read True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours” he was unaware of the circumstances in which I had grown up. He said that he had always felt that, “Frank Beardsley was a mean man, and I didn’t like him”, but that was the extent of his knowledge of our abusive household. The added weight of hiding the shame from everyone, including one of my best friends, was way too much for any child to have to bear.
So, rest easy Michael. I also enjoyed “Yours, Mine and Ours”. It was a fun and funny movie and will always be. For the record: I Love Lucy, too!
Readers are Finding Their Own True Story When They Read My True Story
Since the release of my book, True North-The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours”, I’ve received many emails and I’ve had many conversations with readers who have expressed their feelings to me about the book. What I find amazing and gratifying, is that as I read these emails and listen to each person, I hear how readers have found a connection to my story that resonates with their own – each person has brought their own story, and some have even found their true story when they read my true story. I believe there are two reasons for this:
First (unfortunately), the incidence of domestic violence and child abuse is so common in our society that either we have had a personal experience with it, or we know someone very close to us who has. Second, because we all have so many experiences that we share, True North is not just my story. It is a story for everyone.
I believe that as human beings, we have far more in common than that which separates us. Yet in spite of this, the stigma of silence that surrounds the issue of domestic violence and child abuse shrouds victims in shame, guilt and most seriously, isolation. Many people often end up carrying unresolved childhood emotions into adulthood not knowing what to do with them and not wanting to talk about them. Many feel like they have done something wrong, or it is even their fault. Nothing could be further from the truth!
I believe, and experts suggest that the most important realization anyone can have in this regard is to realize and accept the fact that they are not alone and there is help available to them. (If you are new to my blogs, please see the resource section of the website.)
True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours” is a story that seems to have something for everyone. If it isn’t one part of the book, it is another. For example, some people like the real life vs. “Yours, Mine and Ours” section; some like the adventure stories; some like the heart-touching stories about my visit with the North family; some like the spiritual-meditation section. Many are shocked by the story, and some have actually reached out to me with kindness and sympathy telling me they are sorry for what I went through and glad I made it.
One thing is perfectly clear: Readers are touched and many have stated that reading the book has been an important step on their own healing journey – they are seeing the light.
Whatever your life circumstances are that led you to read True North -The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours”, I hope you will find the inspiration you need to carry you forward on your journey, and that you find courage, as I have, to reach out and make a difference, in your life and in the lives of others, especially abused and neglected children.
Revisiting Scenes from “Yours, Mine and Ours”
I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed on the radio show, Simple Life Radio with Cynthia Fernandes, about my book, True North- The Shocking Truth of “Yours Mine and Ours”. (Book Release Event coming up soon – Friday July 12, at 6-8 PM at the Carmel Art Association and Pilgrim’s Way Book Store in Carmel-by-the-Sea).
During the show, Cynthia played a few minutes of a couple of scenes from the film “Yours, Mine and Ours”starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda; the movie which is part of the title of my book. In the vignette, little Phillip, the child protagonist of the film, gets into a fight with kids at school over whether his last name is North or Beardsley. In the film, his character wants his name to be Beardsley, supporting and promoting the desire to combine the families into one big happy household. Lucy, seeing that her character’s (my mother, Helen North’s) plans are working, pleads with the nun who holds Phillip after school for fighting, and asks her to allow Phillip to call himself a Beardsley. (Phillip was writing on the blackboard 100 times, “My name is Phillip North.”)
Ha! It’s a cute, funny scene, and it works well in the context of the film. I hadn’t seen the film in a while, and while I enjoyed watching the short clips Cynthia had selected, I found myself experiencing a cognitive dissonance between what I was watching, and my knowledge of what the actual “Yours, Mine and Ours” family experience was really like. We discussed the differences between Lucy’s fantasy story and the experience I had as part of the real-life family portrayed in her film. Lucy made a heartwarming, funny movie that was entertaining and a success by any measure. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that the family environment portrayed in the film was the polar opposite of the real thing. We never could live up to it.
During the interview, Cynthia and I shared insights about our experiences of the healing power of nature and spirit. I also shared some of the challenges I faced, and details about my healing process/recovery from this childhood trauma –trauma that has taken my entire adult life to come to grips with and get over – on my way to becoming a happy well-adjusted human being. I talked about my journey towards wellness which includes meditation: “Meditation helps us to experience our essential nature – which is silence – that is where the bliss is – where we experience the joy of divine love.”
On Father’s Day, I Honor the Memory of my Father, Richard North.
As I relate in my book, unfortunately, my father was killed when I was just six years old. When he died, I lost my anchor and I drifted in a netherworld for years. Still, he was a wonderful, positive role model and I got to know him, at least a little.
He was a demi-god to me, my True North, and taught me much about how I would relate to the world in later years. I credit him with my value system, a mischievous sense of humor and love of nature and adventure – important characteristics I needed to later deal with a dramatically different, violently abusive, new stepfather!
Fortunately I have been able to regain my footing and live a happy life. As the father of two grown women, ages 26 and 23, my reflections on Father’s Day automatically bring a smile to my face. I think of the moment of my daughters’ births. I remember reveling in the magic of watching them grow as human beings and sharing in their wonder as they learned about the world, vicariously living a childhood again through their perspectives. I am gratified when I talk to them on the phone and I hear the smile in their voice, happy to be talking to their father. I am proud to be their dad and to know they feel they were raised with love, respect and caring support.
I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like if my dad had lived. I wonder what he would think of me as a father, and I imagine how he would have been a wonderful grandfather to my own children.
I also think about families and children celebrating Father’s Day, and what meaning this may have in families riddled with violence from abusive fathers. Of course, no family is perfect, but I suspect that the expectation to respect and honor a parent who doesn’t deserve it, brings added feelings of guilt and shame.
I am gratified that advance readers are coming forward and letting me know that my inspirational true story of survival and hope has made a positive difference in their lives and opened a path to understanding and healing:
“Thank you for writing True North, The Shocking Truth about ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’. Your book has helped me to better understand my relationship with my father and develop a new perspective around that relationship. This is extremely valuable to me. Thank You!”
– Dan Buffo, MBA, Hands-on Energy Healer
. Michael shared with me that when his family moved from a town near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to the San Fernando Valley area of greater Los Angeles, he watched the movie Yours, Mine and Ours and was immediately taken with Lucille Ball. Through one of those amazing and wonderfully fated sequences of events, Michael met Lucille Ball and ended up working for her.
True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours” is a story that seems to have something for everyone. If it isn’t one part of the book, it is another. For example, some people like the real life vs. “Yours, Mine and Ours” section; some like the adventure stories; some like the heart-touching stories about my visit with the North family; some like the spiritual-meditation section. Many are shocked by the story, and some have actually reached out to me with kindness and sympathy telling me they are sorry for what I went through and glad I made it.