Featured Interview With Andrew G. Swapp
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in a little town in Southern Utah surrounded by National Parks and natural beauty. Kanab, Utah is at the heart of adventure so growing up was just that, one great adventure! I moved to Emery County my senior year of High school and yes I found great adventure there as well. I joined the U.S. Army as senior because I wanted to jump out of airplanes like John Wayne in The Green Berets, SCUBA dive like Jaques Cousteau, and I wanted to see the big ditch that Teddy Roosevelt dug in Panama. In my first year in the Army I accomplished all of my big goals. I loved the jungles of Panama and the undersea life. I often have dreamed of retiring there, one of the worlds best kept dive secrets. My military career brought me back to Panama in less than desirable conditions where I met several of General Manuel Noriega’s soldiers who would sporaticly defend the evil dictator with occasional sniper fire or drive by spraying of erratic 7.62. This event was just one of the adventures the military life brought, but in 1996 my medical retirement paved the way for a brand new adventure in eduction. I became a High School shop teacher. For last fifteen years I have been teaching the next generation of engineers, builders, welders, cabinet makers, and wind technicians. I have found adventure on a small 40 acre farm with my trusty mule Melagro and several other animals. My family has found an adventurous growing up and learning in the Milford Utah area, but recent events have forced a move and we are off to another adventure to parts unknown.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I am sorry! I never was fascinated with books! I was so bored with reading that I could hardly sit still for even a good adventure. History class came alive when the teacher would talk about Teddy Roosevelt. My mother would put me to bed as a child with an adventure in the form of a book. I grew up not realizing that I loved books. I was a poor reader until medical conditions made it so that the military was no longer my career. I went back to school and the college offered a reading course. I signed up and wow I found adventures again! Now that I have been an educator for fifteen years I have decided to run in a little different direction. I have felt the pressure to seek a new adventure and writing books is just one of those adventures. I have authored only two books at this point and I know that with experience and practice my writing will only get better, but one thing you can count on is finding adventure in every chapter. I hope to make books and reading a huge part of my life from this point on.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Basically unknown authors are the ones for me. The histories and autobiographical stories are fascinating. The lessons learned and analogies to life are so important. I am enthralled with good stories of good people who have given service to their fellow man.
Jay A. Parry and Andrew M. Allison have hit a home run with The Real George Washington. I love our founding fathers and the passion that they must have had for freedom.
In my days as a river guide on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon I was a connoisseur of Edward abby books, but one in particular was the Monkey Wrench Gang. I dreamed of a free running river unencumbered by cement dams, but realizing that the dam prolonged the river running season brought me back to reality. I did have uncles who worked for the National Park Service and lived next to Edward Abby and affectionately called him “Shabby Abby!” They said as a Park Ranger you would think he would have the knowledge of an iron and bath soap! I was amazed at their comments of this environmental hero. I guess everyone shines in somethings and not in others.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Education Animal is my latest book. I love analogies, so the education animal is how I view education, it is an animal. An animal can be very wild, out of control and even vicious at times, or they can be very tame and seek the companionship of mankind. I have found that so often the animals on my farm reflect the time that I spend with them. We depend greatly on animals even in this modern age we depend on then for food, fiber, and friendship. I include some personal history and great learning experiences or adventures that have shaped my life and values. Education is so basic to our freedom and this is expressed within the chapters of The Education Animal.
If you love adventures and you love to feel something deep inside, then you will love this book. I take you from boyhood to manhood, from fun carefree to deeply meaningful and pain filled experiences that shape your views and even turn them inside out. I write about parenting, teaching, and making life an adventure for any age and especially for your children, all stated in analogies. If you think you will read The Education Animal for an educational type of read, think again, it will make you laugh, it will put on the edge of your seat, and it will make you cry, but mostly I hope it will allow you to feel the importance of education its many forms.
The book has been born out of some frustration with how education is headed this day in age and out of desire to educate students to be creative, intelligent, safe, and well grounded at the same time. The direction we have been heading is taking freedoms away in leaps and bounds. It has taken a life time of experiences to build this book, but only a few months to write it down and make flow.
Thank you for reading thus far. I hope you will take the time to sit down and read this small book and please leave me comments. I will be learning the rest of my life, by all means if I strike a cord with you let me know – educate me!
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