RIP literary icon Philip Roth, 85, author of more than 25 books, most of them fiction. I read the once controversial Portnoy's Complaint a few years after its publication in 1969. I didn't get it. I wonder if I was too green at the time to understand it. Maybe I'll take another crack at it. It was banned in certain places, which is laughable given how permissive standards now are. It would seem very tame these days. Among the many awards Roth received is a Pulitzer for American Pastoral in 1980. Seven of his novels have been adapted directly to the big screen, another in part. He also has "story" credit for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and two for an obscure, limited series titled Quest, which seemed, according to IMDb, to adapt parts of two of his novels. His most consistent theme is Jewish identity. Not only was his work critically acclaimed, it also sold well. Well done, sir.
Beside a lengthy article on marijuana in today's NY Post is a chart with interesting figures. Among teenagers who use it frequently there is a six-point drop in IQ that is never recovered. 138,000 people have sought treatment for abuse of it, which is a complete surprise. I would have thought it would be closer to zero. I don't use it but I know a lot of people who do, and none seems adversely affected, although I don't know how often they indulge. According to the chart, 54% of parents are users. That too is surprisingly high.
Amy Cole was in the stands last night as her husband Gerrit pitched Houston to an 11-2 win over visiting San Francisco. The Giants' runs came courtesy of her brother, Brandon Crawford, a shortstop, who homered vs. his in-law. Imagine the needling that will go on at family gatherings.
According to radio talk show host Mark Simone, there are currently about 500 scripted shows on TV. Since none use any of my work and I've never gotten even a feeler from anyone in the business, it makes me feel as if it isn't up to snuff. With so many shows to supply, producers must have people scouring for potential material. On at least three occasions a person who has bought one of my books has promised to pass it along.
My thanks to the woman who donated three works of non-fiction, to the one who purchased a thriller in Russian, to the gentleman who selected Patricia Cornwell's At Risk, and to the one who bought Paolo Coelho's The Alchemist and a Golda Meir bio.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
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