Former Lakewood Ranch barbershop owner writes a new life chapter

My science fiction tastes always have run more toward the goofier side.

Although I wouldn't pull my ears down to points to do a Spock, I could recite many of the more famous lines in the "Star Trek" series.

And, reluctantly, I would admit to being a "Lost in Space" fan when I was a kid, relishing all those "Danger Will Robinson" moments.

When it comes to something like "Star Wars," though, I never knew a Han from a Solo. When you get deeper than that, such as "Soylent Green," or "2001: A Space Odyssey," I'm lost in space.

So I knew Lakewood Ranch's Barry Rainwater was going to have trouble leading me through his new novel's storyline.

Rainwater's first book is "2525: Gardens and Creeks," and is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble or by going to BarryRainwater.com. The description of the story on the back cover goes like this:

"Inside towering Arcologies, the collective thrives on mind control, genetic engineering, and pleasure optimization. Every need satisfied. Every desire indulged. Every question erased.

"But when lost memories resurface, A12 and T23 begin to question their reality — and the truth."

Wow.

It's not the kind of thing you would expect to discuss at your local barber shop — unless Barry Rainwater was the owner.

From 2006 to 2023, Rainwater and his wife, Lynn, owned JD Barbary Shoppe in Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. If you were in the establishment during that time, as I was, you know that this was a barber shop with an upscale, artistic vibe.

"The barber shop was just an idea, like writing a book," Rainwater said. "It was a creative idea."

The creativity wasn't reflected in the actual haircuts like a mullet or a quiff, it was reflected in the surroundings.

"We used a lot of images inside of the old English barber shops," Rainwater said. "We did things like straight razor shaves.

"I am more the creative type so Lynn worked the front desk and managed the place for 17 years. I was the creative genius, and the janitor."

When it came time to retire — Barry and Lynn sold to Modern Gents — Barry retreated to his lounge chair at home, and began to concentrate on his novel, which he actually had started years before.

If you wonder where the complex subject matter for his book originated, then you have to understand the complex nature of his persona. Rainwater served 12 years in the U.S. Army with Special Forces, went into corporate management, and has taught entrepreneurship at the university level. Then there was the run as a Lakewood Ranch barber shop owner, along with ownership of a surf and skateboard shop.

"Book writing started as a hobby," he said, noting that he always has been a fan of science fiction and a voracious reader.

He talked about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a train of thought proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow, who said people have five sets of basic needs that are related to each other in a hierarchy or pyramid.

The final one, or top of the pyramid, is about self-actualization, or as Rainwater calls it, "The time to finally do things for the fun of it."

At 67, Rainwater is having fun.

"My interests always have been old books and old movies," he said.

He admires writers like Jules Verne and Isaac Asimov. He loves watching the "Planet of the Apes" series and movies such as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Soylent Green," and "Logan's Run." Heck, he even loved "Star Trek."

But he finally decided it was time to create his own story. 

"I sat down in my chair, opened a Word doc, and started typing," he said. "I started writing this book seven years ago."

The soft cover edition of the book is 344 pages followed by various sections that include "The People's Language" vocabulary, a glossary of terms, and various tables. Rainwater notes that this is the first in his "Kallipolis" series. 

"I do struggle just writing," he said. "I am not a writer necessarily. It took me six months to write the first draft, then I was just improving it."

He calls his work "hard" science fiction that is as accurate as he can make it.

"I would research one sentence for hours," he said about making sure things were plausible.

The book's setting is the Talladega National Forest in Alabama where he grew up.

"The story evolved," he said. "I didn't write ... I channeled. It was what was in my head."

The setting is a residence in a contained habitat. Those who live within that residence in 2525 don't know what lurks outside the giant monolithic structure.

"People seem content, but they never really are," he said. "They are made, not born."

The main characters don't have names, but numbers. They are not identified, at least initially, by gender.

"All individualism has been removed, and discarded," he said. "They are numbers."

He then adds a little humor.

"A12 is a redhead," he said with a smile.

He went on to mention biologist E.O. Wilson's Half-Earth Theory, and something about the Muscogee indians along with the book being a mix between "The Clan of the Cave Bear," the "Last of the Mohicans," and "2001: A Space Odyssey."

"Oh goodness, beam me up Scotty!"

I hope the mix of special forces, barber shop, and a Kallipolis series leads to a bestseller, even if it's all a little over my head. I just wish Barry the best, and say:

"Live long and prosper."