July 2021 – the Lemmings

Lemmings heading straight for the cliff.

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As part of Artweek last year I did an interview about Isaac’s Story. Here it is:

 

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Looking for a good book to read? My new novel, Isaac’s Story, has been released. Print copies are available from amazon.com, and ebooks are available from all the major online distributors.

Here are a couple of reviews from readers on amazon.com

I fell in love with the narrator, Isaac. What a gentle and loving man! And yet he has seen so much and lived through so much. I cried for his losses, I smiled through his joys.

I learned an enormous amount amount about history–not the history book details, but the reality of war, of homophobia, of class differences, of immigration, of art.

This is an amazing work of fiction, and yet if feels real. Thank you to the author for changing my world.

and

Wonderful read!. Could not put it down.

Isaac’s Story is a story of people who live boldly and defiantly through difficult times. It is a history of the twentieth century seen through the lives of those who experienced it in its mud and blood, in its struggles, and in its times of social progress.

The year is 2002. Isaac Simon is 102 years old. He is blind and unable to speak or move, but his mind and memory are active and he is telling his life-story to himself; from the Jewish shtetl in Lithuania, through his improbable life-long relationship with Virginia Appleton, the independent-minded daughter of old-moneyed Boston Unitarians, to 9/11.

The immigrant experience, war, love, religion, art, class conflict, labor struggles, civil rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, family and friendship are all explored within the narrative.

Woven through Isaac’s recollections, are his limited but critical and evolving communications with those who come to see him – his family, friends, and care-givers. These loving and caring interactions are a reflection of the life he has lived and the empathy his life continues to generate.

Isaac’s wit, intelligence, warmth, and human frailties are captivating. He has lived a long and fascinating life and, as painful as it sometimes can be, he is unflinching in ‘talking’ about it.

The first couple of chapters can be found on the Isaac’s Story page.

This has been a long time coming – see Thought and Rants of January 8th for a description of a bit of the process.