Veteran journalist Gay Talese, borrowing his title from the Herman Melville short story about a man who “would prefer not to,” tells three long-form true stories. Part I is “A Story of Wall Street,” which describes the people in his early newspaper life, while Part II deals with his frustrated efforts to interview Frank Sinatra and write a profile for Esquire. The third part, “Dr. Bartha’s Brownstone,” focuses on a building in New York City’s East 62nd Street. Readers learn of the unhappy Dr. Bartha and his decision to destroy his home rather than sell it to accommodate a divorce settlement. Talese is an effective writer and guide to the people around famous people and to the New York of long ago.
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What I’m ReadingI began working in libraries as a seventh grader, courtesy of scoliosis. My orthopedic surgeon wrote me a pass to miss gym class, so I began working in the school library to feed my love of reading. Even after my surgery to correct the curvature, I kept getting out of gym to work in my high school library and then in my college library (for pay, at last!).
So began my eventual career as a college reference librarian—after a detour into teaching high school English. Later I worked for an educational publisher before going back to libraries.
I have a reading and writing life now. I devour both fiction and nonfiction, and will tell you about some of my favorite reads, both old friends and new discoveries.
Here's some library-themed music to get you in the mood.
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