Retired teacher Jerry Cherneski recently published his first book, What's Going On?, through South Country Press.
"When I was growing up, we knew how to look after ourselves," Cherneski explained in an interview with the Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. "I grew up on a farm, and if some criminal were going to try to do us harm, we would always have taken some action and it would have been the criminal in trouble.
"You hear things today where somebody is breaking into a home and the advice is not to fight back because you could be charged. What kind of world is that, and where are we going? So, those are some of the ideas I had while I was writing this book, just looking at the politics of today, and what's happening with things like this carbon tax."
Cherneski, 74, dedicated his book at his grandsons in the hope that they will remember and work to restore some of the "common sense" he believes Canadian society has lost since he grew up in the '60s and '70s.
What’s Going On? is written for Canadians who find themselves questioning the world they live in, the laws they live under, and the decisions of the politicians that lead them.
The book is divided into two sections, the first of which explores the many ways Cherneski believes that common sense has gone out the window, from geopolitics, health care, political party alliances, gun ownership regulations, and government legislation.
The second section of What's Going On is a description of the author's dream, portraying an alternative reality that includes extensive gun ownership and increased autonomy in protecting oneself and one’s neighbours.
Cherneski does not hold back from critical analysis of current and past government leaders, stating tough realities and asking tougher questions.
"I'll just take a situation that I describe in my book, you know, you read about a case in this country a few years ago, where someone's head got cut off on a bus, and 10 years later, this person is free. And the person was actually in a state of cannibalism, and I'm just asking, what's going on in our society?"
Cherneski said he found a book review in the Moose Jaw Express in 2022 that led him to the publisher and inspired him to finish his book. He's proud of that accomplishment and hopes people who are also concerned by society's direction will pick up his book for a read.
"I phoned them and the rest is kind of history. They helped me out lots and now my book has been published. I'm very proud of that."
Cherneski was raised in small-town Saskatchewan. He has a graduate degree in educational leadership and spent 30 years as a teacher in Moose Jaw, where he still lives. He also coached football, hockey, and curling for many years.
What's Going On (2023) is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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