My Class on Bernard Malamud’s Short Stories

The author Bernard Malamud is best known for two of his novels, The Natural and The Fixer, both of which were made into very successful movies. However Malamud also wrote many short stories, over the course of some forty years, which feature an amazing gamut of colorful and memorable characters, as well as compelling narrative lines. I will be teaching a course on Malamud’s short stories at Oakton Community College’s Emeritus Program beginning May 2nd. The course will consist of four ninety-minute sessions, meeting on consecutive Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30, concluding on May 23rd. For information on how to register for the course, which is called “Bernard Malamud’s Stories,” please go to http://www.oakton.edu/conted.

The End of The Red Book

This a sad post, discussing the demise of a book, non-literary in content, that was part of my life for the last 43 years. I’m talking about the end of the print edition of Who’s Who in Baseball, popularly referred to as The Red Book. I starting buying The Red Book in 1973, in the age before Google. It contained statistics of active Major League ballplayers, going back to their Minor League and foreign baseball careers as well. It was my constant companion as I watched a baseball game on TV at home, always ready to tell me a pertinent stat on a player. I never threw copies of The Red Book away, stacking them neatly, side-by-side on a shelf in my basement. But now the age of Google is in few swing, and the print edition of The Red Book  has become a relic.

Steven Gan Next Featured Author at Max and Benny’s

What motivated a nice Jewish young man from Northbrook to move to Japan for fifteen years and become a debt collector there? Well Steven Gan has just written his tell all first book, “Making It & Breaking It in Japan” relating his commercial adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun. Some of these adventures were indeed perilous as Gan confronted the Japanese Mafia. He even wound up in the clink in Tokyo. But now Gan is back in Northbrook, safe and sound, and he will tell his story at Max and Benny’s on Monday evening, March 27, starting at 7:00 p.m. Come early to get a good seat and eat before the presentation.

Eric Charles May Discusses “Bedrock Faith” at Cliff Dwellers in March

The Cliff Dwellers next book club on Saturday morning March 25 features Eric Charles May as he discusses his novel Bedrock Faith. The book, written in 2014, grabs the reader in so many different ways as it is poignant, amusing and tragic, often in the same chapter. But it does grab you, and you remain fixed on the book until its conclusion. Set in a middle-class African American community on Chicago’s Far South Side, the author brilliantly narrates the challenge of a cohesive group of long settled residents dealing with the horrific actions of a mentally unhinged neighbor. The discussion begins at 11 and is free and open to the public. Mr. May will be staying afterwards for lunch, which you do need to make a reservation at reservations@cliff-chicago.org.

Course on James Joyce’s Ulysses at the Glencoe Library

The Glencoe Public Library is launching its new Big Books series this spring with James Joyce’s Ulysses. I have the distinct honor of being the instructor for the course. There will be nine evening sessions, on Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30, starting on April 6th. The course is free, and open to all, though Glencoe residents have priority if the class fills up. If you are interested in registering, please call the library at 847-835-5056.