New Book – And Background

Roundwood Press will soon publish a new book. It’s only ten pages long. It was written long ago by my mother, and is a powerful piece of writing. It’s titled:

I See – Believe and Achieve.

All proceeds of the book will be donated to the Austin Special School in Chicago.

What is so special about this book, and why will the proceeds be donated to a school in Chicago?

My parents established and owned a business in Chicago. The eventual freedom this provided them with did not come out of the blue.

When growing up, my mother lived in a small apartment in Chicago. When she looked out the window, she saw a brick wall a few feet away that belonged to the neighboring apartment building. She read books voraciously, and was determined to travel the world at a young age. My father grew up with relatively affluent parents in Buffalo, New York (where both a school and a street are named ‘Mullen’ after my grandfather). However, his parents lost their money when he was young. My father was able to find various jobs – beginning during the Great Depression. At one point when he was struggling as a truck driver, he was determined to improve his life.

My parents met and began their business in Chicago. Basically, they imported European technology and sold the first photocopiers in the United States. Customers were mystified – what was a photocopier, and why would anyone want one? Yet they persevered.

Eventually, their business thrived. But before it did, a pivotal event occurred that taught my mother the value of giving. She recounted the event to me over ten years ago before she passed away, and I afterwards I wrote it down verbatim. The story is recalled in my book titled Visual Magic – Seeing and Believing: 

“It was 1955 and our daughter was one year old. There was an article in the Chicago Daily News written by a columnist who used to be a professor of mine at Northwestern. The article was about how the Austin Special School, in a poor neighborhood of Chicago, needed $3,400 for the final payment for their building. The school was for mentally and physically challenged people.

“I told your father about it. He said ´go for it.’ We sent in a check for the entire amount – anonymously.

“It was really strange. The very next day we received a check for about $3,400 from Agfa Gevaert for a billing error they had made.”

Soon after this event, their business began booming. From this event my mother learned the power of giving.

The book ‘I See’ is a brief compilation of notes my mother made about what she considered to be secrets toward improving life and gaining greater financial control. Although my parents were not overtly religious, the work mentions Biblical quotes. For me, the value of the book is that it highlights the occasional need to drop the ego and your sense of control, and surrender to greater powers.

The book cover is being prepared, and the book will be on sale within weeks.