The Alternative Press

PATERSON, NJ – In the late 1960s in Paterson, an 11-year-old boy started writing in a personal journal. He came from a pretty big family - three brothers and two sisters - and sometimes he felt overlooked, or less loved. Writing became an outlet for his feelings. No one else knew about his journals. They were private.

Now he’s 53. Over the years, the boy became a  man - a teacher, a counselor, a college professor, a proud father. And during that time, he continued writing. And eventually, his writing stopped being so private.

On June 30, Dr. Thomas L. Page, a lifelong Paterson resident, released his first book, When Love is Not Enough. 

It’s a title, Page said, that “has been in his thoughts” since his teens. Once, he even jotted it down on the cover of one of his journals.

During a recent interview, Page said his book is “about spirituality, coping, raising young adult males, and reuniting families.”

Page has a doctorate degree in human services, with a specialty in counseling studies, and has been working in the field for many years now. “I love teaching the most,” Page said. “I love opening minds and making ‘em think.”

Page said he had one goal in mind prior to releasing When Love is Not Enough: “My goal is to allow families to accept, embrace, and understand young adults.”

“And young adults must learn according to what young men should be,” Page added.

In the course of his research, Page said he found that young men typically want simple things in life.

“All young men wanted were to be loved and understood,” Page reflected.

Even if his book were to earn him fame and fortune, Page said he has no plans to leave the Silk City.

“Paterson is where I’m from, who I am, where my parents raised me,’’ he said. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”