Feel the Magic!

About the Book

There are two kinds of people who won’t want to miss reading Feel the Magic!, a rollicking tale by Bill Soisson, a wise-cracking sixty-year-old man who sets out to conquer the Emerald Isle on a bicycle. As Bill takes to the road for a month-long assault, there is no doubt in his mind that he can indeed conquer the place. But many things can happen in a month, and after dozens of encounters with the irresistible Gaels who call themselves Irish, Soisson comes to realize that instead of conquering, he has been clearly bested. All along his vagabond way, the Irish have out-wisecracked, outsmarted, outlaughed, and outloved him. He has been enslaved by the affections of a host of delightful characters who regularly take smart-aleck strangers and bring them to heel with large doses of blarney, twice-told tales, and patented put-downs. Morever, he has been deeply moved by the history of that poetic people. Most remarkable, though, is that the author, put to a test by wit or kindness at every turn for a solid month, has loved every moment of it equally, the humbling as well as the exalting. And, by the time his story has been told, you sense that he will never again be quite the same brash man who landed in Dublin. He has been touched by many people, in ways ranging from riotously funny to deeply emotional. Each experience has been different, but each has been very human and very . . . well, Irish. In the end, when he leaves that enchanted land, he is overcome with the mysterious feeling that the butcher in Dublin was right on the mark when he said, “Who do you think sent you here, and do you think it was just for a piece of meat?” Filled with colorful historical background, peopled by warm characters and impish fairies, Feel the Magic! is a story that anyone who hasn’t yet been to Ireland won’t want to miss. But who are the others? Didn’t I say there are two kinds of people who won’t want to miss reading this book? Yes, I did. The others, of course, are those who have been to Ireland!

About the Author

Bill Soisson did his undergraduate work at Notre Dame University, where he learned that the school’s nickname, The Fighting Irish, is well-earned. Many of the students were, like Bill, of Irish descent. But, unlike Soisson, many of those were so proud of their blood that they could sometimes be insufferable. Even though three of his grandparents were fully Irish, and even though Bill had attended wakes ’n’ weddin’s in his younger years, he couldn’t quite get the hang of thinking, as did his friend Art Cody, that “The Irish are the best people in the world. No, I don’t have to explain why this is so, it’s simply a self-evident fact. The Irish are the best people in the world.” Leaving such professional Irishness behind, Bill acquired a JD degree from Dickinson School of Law, practiced trial law for a while, then spent three-and-a half years in the African country of Malawi, where he was chairman of the English department and headmaster of a secondary school. Following that, he taught legal and sociological studies at the Pennsylvania State University, was faculty at the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s School, and did investigative work for the army, including such things as heading the Agent Orange inquiries. As a reserve, he liked the challenge of work that took him to many parts of the world. All through his immensely varied life, writing has been Bill Soisson’s abiding passion. “It seems that ever since birth I’ve had a pen in my hand,” he says. “Before I said my first word, I wrote it down and checked the spelling.” He has published numerous law review articles in addition to undergraduate essays. A long series of articles on African culture was extremely well-received. His 1,100 page study of Egyptian culture is still in use somewhere in the Pentagon. So is his most bureaucratic product, the massive United States Army Claims Manual. A number of his commentaries on various social issues have been greeted by such praise as “terribly incisive,” “persuasive,” and “powerfully reasoned.” At the same time, public speaking has been an integral part of Soisson’s life. Genial by nature, he is equally comfortable speaking to a jury of twelve, a class of thirty, or an auditorium of three thousand. The hallmark of his speaking is the wit and humor with which he presents his subject. It should also be mentioned that his several amateur theatre performances have drawn highly praising reviews by regional press, as have his lectures on international law and foreign affairs. Oddly, during all his traveling and writing, Bill Soisson has never done any travel writing. But then, Feel the Magic! is really not a travel book. Nor is it a study of the Irish people. It is, in fact, a book by an author who no longer believes in studying a people. Feel the Magic! is just a beautiful romp in someone else’s playpen!