TOWARDS A FOREST CITY MYTHOLOGY
Journalism Collection / Phelps Publishing / 1989 / Cover image: Ted Goodden  / Three portraits by Alan Dayton  / Illustrations and design: Roger Baker

My second collection of essays, interviews and features has a strong London focus and is distinguished by a worthy profile on James Reaney and Colleen Thibaudeau (which so far as I know is the only article on Jamie which identifies the familial scandal in his childhood which gave him such insight into the sort of judgemental venom a small community sets loose in his trilogy of Donnelly plays); a 50th anniversary look back on the great London flood of 1937; and Stalking the Wild Flapdoodle in which I turn the tables on the Free Press’ resident theatre critic, Doug Bale, and pass comment on his career and his first play. - Herman Goodden

REVIEWS
“This latest offering is an interesting melange of essays, interviews, profiles and memoirs, each having some connection with London. Goodden’s best writing happens when he is holding forth in an amusing tone about a pet peeve – his repudiation of the private automobile in favour of public transit, for example or his aversion to formal and expensive wedding gifts. Or check out the Goodden opinion on teen magazines featuring ‘a veritable army of vacuous little twerps who play teenaged sons in a couple dozen sitcoms that I can’t even begin to keep straight.’
"The book contains some fine profiles of London personalities; the Reaneys, former mayor Jane Bigelow, analyst Marion Woodman. Accompanied by Alan Dayton’s great portraits, these sketches offer fascinating insights into the complex and sometimes private people who contribute to the fabric of this city’s cultural, political and professional life. Personal experience pieces, such as the author’s being selected for jury duty, and remembering his high school ‘career’, strike an excellent balance between fact and opinion; and his research articles are well written.
"An oddball piece which would be difficult to categorize is Stalking the Wild Flapdoodle, being a response to drama critic, Doug Bale. The fact that Bale is quoted on the back of the book suggests that Goodden gets a certain peculiar bang from the critic’s uncomplimentary remarks.”
- Sheila Martindale, Scene

“That’s why it is appealing, I guess – like a concentrated voyage through a thousand gossipy cocktail parties or some nostalgic roller-coaster ride. Hilarious passages about how miserable the automobile is in winter or a story about some lousy rock band are juxtaposed with serious tributes to the Reaneys or teacher Marion Woodman. That kind of mix alone says something about the book and about London.”
- Paul Berton, London Free Press

“With this latest collection, Herman Goodden displays a fierce sense of loyalty and commitment for his Forest City roots . . . Goodden is sometimes thoughtful and reflective, revealing a caring sensitivity which explores some serious issues. Always present however, is the lighthearted Goodden humour whether directed at himself or at the endless intricacies of human nature. He succeeds in making this book a milestone on the road previously forged by Orlo Miller and others, towards a Forest City mythology.”
- Lois Kelly, Site / Sound