The Writer's Life 12/3 - Courage

Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds is being honored posthumously by an Israeli organization, Righteous Among Nations, that cites the heroic actions of non-Jews. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge and sent to an internment camp, he was ordered, pistol to his head, to separate Jewish-American prisoners from others. He refused, saying: “We’re all Jews here,”  and: “If you shoot me, you’ll have to shoot all of us and, after the war, you’ll be tried for war crimes.” The Nazis backed down. Awesome, sir. (From a NY Post editorial)

In an op-ed piece in today’s NY Post, David Kaufman previews a new Spike Lee film that is sure to be controversial in a way different than one would expect. The director tackles black on black violence in Chi-Raq, a re-working of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, a play in which a kingdom’s women band together to withhold sex from their men until they cease warring. The director is already drawing flack for taking on the ugly, taboo truth of the violence too many black males do to each other. Kudos, sir. I haven't viewed any of his work since Inside Man (2006). If Chi-Raq is well-reviewed, I'll add it to my Netflix list once it becomes available on DVD.

Richard Johnson does a gossip page in the Post a few times a week, which he usually ends with a famous quote. Today’s had me laughing grudgingly. It is from publicist Peggy Siegal, of whom I'd never heard: “I have no respect for writers. They never make money. They’re like poor people looking in store windows.” I suppose this too is an ugly truth, at least for those of us at the bottom of the literary ladder.

Siegal's biting commentary proved true today. Since the wind was strong at my usual nook, I decided to take the book shop to Bay Parkway, where the Chase bank, as usual, blocked the breeze. I'd never been there on a Thursday and hoped I'd bag new customers. Alas, despite very appealing variety, only one sale occurred. My thanks to Conspiracy Guy, who bought 13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/