Kyle Kellams: Feb. 1, Brandon D. Campbell’s new children's book, “Oh Brother, My Brother,” will be released. Campbell, a Little Rock native and Little Rock resident, always wanted to write. He majored in journalism at the University of Iowa and wrote for newspapers, then wrote for the entertainment industry and used his skills to found Little Rock Fashion Week.
Campbell visited the Carver Center for Public Radio earlier this month. He says while working in Hollywood, a producer told him that he, Campbell, might become an excellent associate producer someday, but never an executive producer.
Brandon D. Campbell: I took that as a slight and I said, you know what? I'm going to be an executive producer one day. And it's just going to be when I create my own things. And so I was executive producer of my fashion weeks in Little Rock, Baton Rouge, as well as Plano, Texas for well over ten years. And so did a lot of writing there as well too.
Kellams: You are then in a sense, the executive producer of “Oh Brother, My Brother.”
Campbell: Yes, I am.
Kellams: How'd that come about?
Campbell: I wanted to create a story that I wish I had when I was growing up. A story that I believe a lot of kids could relate to. You know, a story about family that wasn't cookie cutter, so to speak, or what’s mass produced out there, a story that I believe that's authentic and it reflects the day to day of millions of kids growing up in our country who are who are being raised in single parent households, living in a blended family due to remarriage or divorce. And create characters that they can see themselves in.
And this was, you know, the idea came to me during the pandemic especially with me being, I’m a mental health advocate and also literacy advocate as well too. So I wanted to create something that kind of merged the two. And after doing a lot of research and reading data, I learned that mental issues are not born, they're created, and no one is born an alcoholic or a drug addict or anything like that. And oftentimes come from childhood experiences, childhood trauma that typically is experienced up to the age of three years of age.
And then the years after that, from three all the way to about 12 years of age. That's when the kid is developing and what they're doing, they're developing from that experience from zero to three. So they're developing their emotional regulation or lack thereof. Their developing behavior. At the end of the day, they're just trying to survive, so to speak.
Your brain, your limbic system, it's trying to survive. And so what happens is children become adults. They start developing these habits early on. And due to the childhood trauma, they find other ways to cope. And so oftentimes they develop maladaptive behaviors that are self destructing, such as anxiety, personality disorders, of course, substance abuse, but also something as simple as procrastination. That's a defense mechanism from a trauma.
And so when I learned all of that, I said, how can I create something that I believe in, that I can relate to, something that I know that I would love to have read when I was a kid, but also bring in the element to help alleviate some of the challenges from childhood trauma. And that is how I came up with “Oh Brother, My Brother,” because it's also a celebration of my own relationship with my own brothers growing up in a blended family.
Kellams: The story is told through two different brothers.
Campbell: Yes, yes,
Kellams: Both of their voices are represented.
Campbell: Yes. Ohmar and Mychael. Those are the two main characters. Ohmar's nickname is O. Mychael's nickname is My. That's how I came up with “Oh Brother, My Brother.”
And a lot of the voices that I was able to develop comes from my own experience. I talked to my brother. My brother, who I had to run the idea by him because he is someone I respect so, so dearly, especially in the areas of creativity and art. He's, you know, at one point was one of the best artists in the state of Arkansas. And I'm not even exaggerating. That was a fact.
And so I always wanted to bounce, bounce different ideas off his head. And so, you know, it was a challenge. But I was able to tap into the the seven year old me, the ten year old me, the 11 year old me and the lifestyle that I had, but also some of the questions that I had, a lot of times, dialogue in my own head that because of a disconnect in my relationships of my caregiver and adults, I had to create my own narrative. And that's why this book is so important. Because kids who experience that childhood trauma now, they're developing narratives that oftentimes lead to misinformation of who they are. And so oftentimes kids will develop this toxic perspective of themselves.
When one of the biggest childhood traumas is neglect and abandonment. And so a child, due to his or her own ego, takes that in and starts believing that they are the root of it all. They're the cause for all the joy, and they're also a cause of all the pain. And so that manifests to a kid believing that as an adult, they're not worthy, they're unlovable. And so this book, really, in my honest opinion, I believe, helps nip that in the bud early on through those development stages for kids ages six to 11 years of age, especially little boys.
Kellams: Tell me about the art, because it's one thing to have the words in the story. You got to have the art.
Campbell: You got to have the art. And so that was a journey all on its own. And so the illustrator, which I did not create any of it, but I was able to really share my vision with Sunjay, who's someone who's a very talented artist. And I remember trying to figure out, how am I going to get an illustrator? And, and I guess this is just kind of like a flaw on my own, a flaw in that is, you know, when I posted it in the Facebook illustration group, she immediately got back to me and was like, hey, you know, I'm excited. I want to know, I want to help. I want to do it.
But my defense mechanism was like, is she really that good? You know? No, let me let me go and ask around. The business person was like, I need to talk to at least three or four people before I say yes.
Kellams: That does not sound unreasonable to me.
Campbell: No, not at all. Not at all. But I was a little I was a little thrown off by, you know, she was very assertive as well, too. But that was a good thing because as I learned, I was like, this is who I want to work with. Someone who is a great artist, but just someone who believes in the work, believes in the story, and wants to bring my vision to life.
And so she did an amazing job. It was a 90 day process. A lot of back and forth. But I told her, I said, at the end of the day, this isn't a picture book. It's going to be about ten illustrations, and each illustration has to have impact. Each one of them. And so she understood the assignment.
Kellams: I'm speaking with Brandon Campbell. His book, “Oh Brother, My Brother.” The subtitle, “Two Brothers, Blended Family: A Journey of Healing.” That last word? Healing. That's a powerful word.
Campbell: Yes it is, yes it is. You know, because at the end of the day, I just believe that the healing process for children does not need to happen when they become adults. It actually makes it harder.
And so when you think about, as I mentioned earlier, about that childhood trauma. But what if children are given therapy through the arts or through their relationships early on? And so this book helps springboard that healing from that trauma that that oftentimes parents didn't try to, right? They didn't try not to be there the way you want them to be there. And so, but and also it's the healing for the parent as well too, because they can see themselves and their kids. And by sharing the story and having these questions, it makes them have to self-reflect. Oftentimes us parents, we're very busy. We're not thinking about, you know, sometimes how we feel because no one's asking us how we feel.
But in the book, there's questions about, you know, mom and about dad. You know, something as simple as, what did you want to be when you grew up? And as a parent, no one asks you that anymore. What do you want to be when you grow up? Or what did you want to be when you grew up? And so often we forget how to dream. And dreaming does not have to end.
And that could be therapeutic for parents that have to think about that and get recentered on what their ambitions actually actually were, and understand that it's not too late. And this is what this, this, this book represented for me was my own healing as well too. And being more connected with that seven year old Brandon and that 10 year old Brandon and that 15 year old Brandon. It made the journey fun and very rewarding.
Kellams: Have you also thought about how this book will be read? Will it be read, do you think, some children will just read it on their own? Some might read it with somebody else.
Campbell: Yeah. So the vision for this book is for children to read it with their parents. And so in the beginning of the book, I have instruction, recommendation on how you should go about reading this book. And one of the, one of the instructions is to read it with your mother and your father or whoever your caregiver is. If it's a grandparent, whoever lives in the house with you, read the book with them. But then say, when you go to see your dad or your mom in another house, you read it with them so that you can fill in the gaps of communication and really understand both sides.
Because by understanding and learning about your parents, you're also learning about you while at the same time this is promoting literacy. You know, it's promoting, bonding and communication. But, you know, there's nothing as powerful as a parent reading a book or sharing a story with their child. It's something that I wished I had more of growing up. But I hope that this book is something that more kids will have now.
Kellams: The book is called “Oh Brother, My Brother.” It will be out Feb. 1. Brandon D. Campbell, author and executive producer. Thank you very much.
Campbell: Yes. I am.
Kellams: Thanks for coming in.
Campbell: Thank you for having me.
Kellams: Brandon D. Campbell visited the Anthony and Susan Hui News Studio earlier this month. He says “Oh Brother, My Brother” will be in local bookstores and online at BrandonDCampbell.com on Feb. 1. He's a Little Rock native and lives in Little Rock, and he's readying a follow up book about the brothers when they're a bit older.
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