Books

Part 2 of Jonathan Batchelor’s life opens with his homecoming to the Bay Area from a conscientious objector’s camp in Waldport, Oregon. With the return, his life was in pieces with a pending acrimonious divorce, no place to live, and no work. His good friend of many years, Anna McNamee, tried to assist him in any way possible by holding onto his possessions, and although she offered her apartment as a place to stay, he preferred living in his old carriage house art studio until he could find a place of his own. He gave up his dream of an art studio in the Sierra foothills by giving his property to Dorothy (post-divorce) and promptly married his good friend, Ms. McNamee. Jonathan’s life with Anna (or Ona, as he preferred to call her) is woven with writings of both Jonathan’s and Ona’s. Her encouragement and faith in his abilities pushed him to apply for teaching positions, and he became an educator. Many of Jonathan’s insecurities are unveiled in the unusual but interesting correspondence between the artist and the president of the California College of Arts and Crafts, where he taught. Although Ona meant the world to him, Jonathan could not stay away from his “lady friends” and continued his wayward lifestyle. Courageous and tolerant of his affairs, Ona accepted his eccentricities and became his greatest advisor and closest friend. The book finishes with one of Jonathan’s “lady friends” giving birth while he is still married to Ona. More to follow in Part 3.