Free Bird

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  “. . . A light broke in upon my brain,—  It was the carol of a bird;  It ceased, and then it came again,  The sweetest song ear ever heard,  And mine was thankful till my eyes  Ran over with the glad surprise,  And they that moment could not see  I was the mate of misery.  But then by dull degrees came back  My senses to their wonted track;  I saw the dungeon walls and floor  Close slowly round me as before,  I saw the glimmer of the sun  Creeping as it before had done,  But through the crevice where it came  That bird was perched, as fond and tame,  And tamer than upon the tree;  A lovely bird, with azure wings,  And song that said a thousand things,  And seemed to say them all for me!  I never saw its like before,  I ne’er shall see its likeness more;  It seemed like me to want a mate,  But was not half so desolate,  And it was come to love me when  None ...

“People of the Abyss” by Jack London

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 After binge watching every episode of “Call The Midwife” on Netflix, I remembered a book by Jack London that I read in high school. I feel a bit foolish taking so long to remember it, but I’m very glad I did. I found a copy in the public domain by going to Amazon and then searched the book by title + “free kindle.” 

For many people, just hearing the name Jack London invokes images of his two most well-known stories “Call of the Wild” and “White Fang.” The Cohen brothers did an excellent job capturing his short story, “Valley of Gold,” in the anthology film “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” It’s too bad that works such as this one have fallen by the wayside.


Though the events of the Jack London’s experience take place 50 years before the TV show, it is been the most educational in getting the full context of what it was like to live in the East End of London. By the end of the seventh chapter, the author has found his way to Poplar, of all places!


It is not a difficult or complicated read and perhaps could be considered more like a longer essay; nevertheless, this book contributes not only to literature but also to provides unique cultural insight. And if you watch the TV show “Call The Midwife” then you might appreciate it more after reading this.

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