Why Shouldn't I Call My Son Clint?

Why Shouldn't I Call My Son Clint?

Using the secret sounds of names as a predictor of personality.

Have you ever met a Bruce who was an innocent knucklehead? Have you ever heard of a Ruth who couldn't handle herself in a fight? Why is it that Grace always seems to be so calm and mature?

Is there really a connection between name and personality? And do the monikers given to use by our parents actually influence our lives?

Author David Hocking explores these questions and more in a brand new book, Why Shouldn't I Call My Son Clint?

In a world-first, Why Shouldn't I Call My Son Clint? Takes an irreverent and very funny look at how a name can really predict a person's nature.

Five years ago, Hocking visited a friend for coffee and from out of the blue- and with an excited smile on her face from something that happened the night before- she asked him, "So what do you think of the name Murray?"

Continuing the joke, David ran the name through his head a few times and a picture suddenly appeared in his mind. And thus, the first name theory was born.

Murray: the name given to the phenomenon of dropping a bucket that is half-filled with mud. After it huts the ground most of it slops straight up and hits you in the face as you stand there. "Oh Murray!" you cry. He's tolerated in the country, indeed his very funny, but city folk just don't understand him.

The jokes grew from Murray, to Patrick, to Andrew, to Malcolm, and then spread to hundreds of names, because it was funny- and because it often seemed to be uncannily true.

According to Hocking, like a tiny piece of personalised music each of us has a name that evokes some small and subconscious response from those we meet. And over time these reactions can gently trickle down and influence who we become.

Featuring close to 2000 names ranging from the popular to the obscure, Why Shouldn't I Call My Son Clint? well-and-truly answers the age-old question 'What's in a name?'.

Other names from the book:
Jennifer: if she insists on being called Jennifer then you must say hello and, even if you don't know any martial arts, at least pretend to make some kind of karate defence stance. If she doesn't attack, make a hasty retreat. That's it.
Kylie: the dignified bogan.
Dick: the informal name ides the formal nature of the fellow. Mr. Cool, Mr. Deceptively Competitive and Mr. Genuine Nice Guy, he is. And he has a sense of humour. (It's the only obvious part about him).
Emma: like the surface of a swollen river after the monsoon, she's smooth and bubbling on the surface, but all those m's are almost too perfect to be true because beneath them is a chaotic riverbed of drama and complexity. Befriend one and you must ask yourself the question: Can I swim?
Ken: Ken rhymes with Brick.
For more names go to: www.thenametheory.com

David Hocking was born in Melbourne in 1968 and was schooled in country Victoria before attaining a Bachelor of Science Degree, majoring in Marine Biology, from James Cook University, Townsville. After extensive work and travel overseas, he began compiling Why Shouldn't I Call My Son Clint? Four years ago on a sea cliff near the town of Livorno in Italy. David eventually returned to Australia for a quieter life and settled in Cottesloe, Perth, where he still lives and spends his time writing, working at a local café and dodging great white sharks. He continues to compile names and their corresponding personalities in preparation for the second edition of the book.

Why Shouldn't I Call My Son Clint?
Vivid Publishing
Author: David Hocking
Price: $19.95