By Holly Desrosier
Craven Community College (Craven CC) student Matt Bircher released his second self-published book, “A World Unknown,” on July 27. His first book, “As Far As the Eye Can See,” was released last November.
At just 19, Bircher possesses a unique ability to enrapture readers in the story of characters weaved into deep narratives well beyond his years. His second book tells the story of a boy named Josiah Jacobs who is struggling to fit into his society and adapt to social expectations in Huntsville, Alabama during the 1960s.
“He’s a young black child, and it covers two periods of his life,” said Bircher. “The first part, he’s 11 years old, young boy, and he’s raised by his single mother. Her name is Verna, and she works really hard to do all she can to provide for him, but it’s barely enough. She’s always at work, so he spends most of his time at a young age alone.”
The book details the world from Josiah’s perspective, examining his constant struggle of discovering that he doesn’t fit in with other people, and his keen perception of racial discrimination and desperate search to be accepted. As he develops into a teenager, Josiah faces more responsibilities and begins to form several relationships that help him later in life.
Bircher’s fascination with history, especially the civil rights era, pushed him to delve further into the time period and try to capture what life would have been like. He particularly wanted to learn more about interracial connections between people during that time. He began writing it last July, shortly after completing his first book.
“In the beginning, I was too focused on the world outside the character,” he said. “I got to a point where I wanted to focus on the character’s life and what their response was to that cruel world that they lived in. That really helped the book move forward. The biggest message behind it and what is so timely today is seeing people for who they are, not just their outer appearance, not the color of their skin or where they come from—it’s about who they are and seeing the potential in people. That connection in the story is such a big part of it, and I think that message really needs to be heard for so many other people in this day and age.”
He put it aside for a few months when the fall semester began, but picked it back up during Christmas break and hit a creative spark earlier this year during spring break. He finished around Easter, just over a month before brutal acts spawned a modern-day civil rights movement and initiated the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020, something Bircher never anticipated but believes ties in with his book.
Bircher will be starting his second year at Craven CC later this month. He plans to earn his Associate in Arts degree and then pursue his degree in political science from ECU. He believes that staying close to home and being surrounded by friends, family and newfound acquaintances at the college have played a major role in getting him to this point.
“There are so many great teachers and professors here who have really been so supportive to me,” he said. “There’s just been a lot of support here on campus. That’s inspired me to want to keep doing this knowing that I have that great support here. I’ve definitely enjoyed being a student here.”
He is a firm believer in using time wisely and being productive whenever possible, and he hopes his story will motivate other students to pursue their own passions to get the most out of life. He noted the importance of having interests outside of work and school to keep life balanced and enjoyable.
“I really want to inspire students; not just to write, but to do anything they’re passionate about,” said Bircher. “I think a lot of times while we’re in school, we tend to focus just on our schoolwork. That’s a very important thing too, but I think it’s also good to have other priorities in your life that you can work on and devote time to even when you have a busy schedule and it can be hectic sometimes.”
He began writing his first book while still in high school, and he plans to continue as he gets older. In fact, he recently started writing an outline for his third book. He also plans to continue using his platform as a young author to address social issues that correlate with current societal problems and hopes readers will think about them from all perspectives.
“I feel that the message within the story is the most important part,” said Matt. “Conveying that to a diverse group of people is the reason why I write. Sharing original stories that tie into the human emotion is a powerful thing that it is my privilege to do.”
Both of Bircher’s books are available for purchase on Amazon. He also sells them at the New Bern Farmers Market every Saturday morning, and he is happy to sign them.