Like Pop, Like Schling

When he was just four years old, René Paul de la Varre earned the nickname “schling,” meaning rascal in his native German language. He admits to having a wild side from a young age and spending much of his life like a wandering nomad in the quest for knowledge and adventure. This memoir retraces René’s footsteps through America, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East over the course of fifty years. His journey pays particular tribute to his relationship with his father, referred to as Pop-a talented filmmaker, pianist, and writer. René candidly discusses coming to grips with his father’s slow descent into alcoholism, a disease that eventually played a role in Pop’s untimely death. Part memoir and part travelogue, Like Pop, Like Schling is at times tragic, adventurous, and nostalgic. It is ultimately a story of hope as René encourages those struggling with substance abuse to have the mettle to change their lives and to conquer their demons before the demons conquer them.