A Brief Review of Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art)

Nampa, Idaho - January 26, 2026 - As a teen in the 1970s, I distinctly recall reading Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea (1952) during my sophomore or junior year. Back then, I was old enough to appreciate the story of a Cuban fisherman’s struggle against nature to catch a massive marlin but too young to grasp the deeper meaning of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novella. After reading it again 45 years later, I’m both awed and humbled by Hemingway’s signature writing style, which, in this case, is mostly limited to Santiago’s thoughts and conversations he has with himself. However, once I understood the Nobel Prize-winning author’s underlying message buried within a simple story of enduring hardship, I had to ask myself, “Why would high school English teachers think The Old Man and the Sea is a book for 16-year-olds?”

Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve appreciated Hemingway’s cautionary reminder that dignity can still be had in failure during my 30s, 40s, or even my 50s. What I’m trying to say is that I believe one needs to have come up short many times in life before the sentient message behind The Old Man and the Sea can be properly acknowledged and valued. “Is it possible to fail with dignity?” Hemingway had an answer. “Yes, it’s the only way to fail.” 

------

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

Did you know that Photosynthesis isn't possible without Quantum Physics?

Nampa, Idaho - January 14, 2026 - An excerpt from Chapter 7: Every Day Quantum:

“So physics plays a part in photosynthesis?” asked Ines.

“It not only plays a part—it plays an essential part. The process of photosynthesis begins 93 million miles away, on the surface of the sun. After an eight-minute journey to earth, thousands of trillions of red and blue light photons are absorbed by plant cells each second. The photons then make their way to organelles inside the plant cells called chloroplasts. After penetrating the chloroplasts, the photons continue into the thylakoid membranes, which are comprised of stacks of discs containing light-capturing molecules called chlorophyll. Once inside the chlorophyll, the photon interacts with a magnesium atom, creating an organic battery called an exciton. The exciton has one millionth of a microsecond to travel to the reaction center enzyme to kick-start the actual process of photosynthesis before the battery loses its charge. Are you with me so far?”

“Definitely,” replied Ines, who gave up trying to eat her chicken with utensils.

------

Back Cover:

What if you were lucky enough to come across something that gave you the power to rise above what we're all experiencing in these trying times? And what if you wanted to share it with the rest of the world but realized that your life-changing revelation was understandably complicated and couldn't be offered to the masses through a simple meme, sound bite, or video clip? 

Physics from the Heart: A Quantum Story is on Amazon Books now.

Physics from the Heart: A Quantum Story solves this dilemma by packaging its sentient message within a narrative that reads less like a textbook and more like a lighthearted screenplay. Not only will readers find themselves painlessly becoming closet experts on one of the most famous discoveries in all of science, but they'll also be able to connect it to the world around them, including consciousness.

Like any good movie, Physics from the Heart is relatable, entertaining, unpredictable, and even comes with a surprise ending that explains why this book will leave you feeling both empowered and happy. 💖

--------

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

TRUNKS ART doesn't just create art and write...he puts in the miles, too! How else can I think and find inspiration?

Nampa, Idaho - January 14, 2026 - I didn’t actually run to Atlanta from Boise, but that’s where I would’ve ended up had I not covered nearly six miles every single day in South Carolina and Idaho in 2025.

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

A Brief Review of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art)

Nampa, Idaho - January 7, 2026 - A Farewell to Arms (1929) by Ernest Hemingway is one of those books that most people have heard of but haven’t read. Up until a few days ago, I was one of those people. Set in the ravaged countryside of Italy during WW1, the book wasn’t anything I had expected. Of course, it was written in the author’s signature style—direct, minimalistic, and unapologetically masculine—but it was less about the horrors of a senseless war and more about a budding love affair that had me rooting for the couple as soon as they met. Normally, I stay away from romance novels, but this one checked all the boxes for me.

Although the story takes place on another continent more than 100 years ago, the polite discourse between all the characters—no matter their role in the novel—is a sad reminder of how today’s public spaces lack any semblance of manners that help create a sense of community. Obviously, life was harder back then, and yet, while reading A Farewell to Arms, I found myself wishing I was born much earlier than I was—not just to meet and fall in love with Catherine, but to enjoy a time when discovering and befriending people meant something.

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

NEW BOOK (no.9) coming this winter: "A RATIONALE FOR BEING" by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art)

Nampa, Idaho - January 5, 2026 - Ahh, yes, I have another book coming out this winter. It’s a departure from my usual fare of societal observations and criticisms. A Rationale for Being is only four chapters and addresses the existential question: Why do I exist? There are discussions around biology, genetics, chemistry, atomic physics, metaphysics, quantum mechanics, and cosmology, but don’t worry—the whole thing is packed inside a cupcake of a story.

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

What if you read for a year instead of looking at screens?

Nampa, Idaho - December 31, 2025 - What does one do when TV, radio, news, sports, and social media are no longer attractive? They read, of course! I, for one, have had enough of incessant commercial advertisements and algorithms that claim to understand me. That was three years ago; since then, I’ve read 94 books—44 in 2025 alone. Here are the most notable books from this year:

BEST:

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen ***

The Stranger by Albert Camus ***

Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit by Eliese Colette Goldbach ***

HONORABLE MENTION:

 

Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates **

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury ***

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel ***

 

WORST:

 

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Melania by Melania Trump

To see the whole list of 94 books, click here.

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

TRUNKS ART writes book reviews, too. Here's my latest on Melania Trump's autobiography...

 Nampa, Idaho - December 23, 2025 - If writing for a large audience has taught me anything, it’s that relatability and entertainment are paramount for keeping readers engaged. Apparently, the ghostwriters of Melania Trump’s self-titled autobiography (2024) never learned these lessons. Despite wanting to tap out before the end of the first chapter, I continued to the bitter end, repeatedly asking myself, “At what point does she become a mere mortal?”

 I picked up the First Lady’s book earlier this month because I wanted to find out who the real woman is behind the couture, the fancy hats, flawless makeup, and perfectly styled hair. But after spending two evenings giving her the benefit of the doubt, I’m back to where I started—clueless. If you’re the type who enjoys reading self-aggrandizing LinkedIn posts, perusing nauseating Christmas letters, or watching reruns of Robin Leach’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, then you’re going to love Melania—a lobotomized, tone-deaf book that is both static and bloodless.

 I’m certainly not the only one who feels this way. Melania has been universally panned across the board, leaving reviewers to shake their heads and suspiciously wonder if her whitewashed autobiography is just another piece of propaganda to toe the company line. My advice to the First Lady: Get rid of the ghostwriters, turn off the AI content generator, and let America see the real you. 

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).