Faces in the Crowd: A Memoir

I am eighty-eight years old and a widower of two years. The passions that ignited me in my youth no longer linger. The intensity of my emotions are now expressed mainly through my writings. I have put together a series of human interest stories that include brief, evocative descriptions of people, some good, some bad. Ordinary folk going unnoticed behind the veil of everyday living, but doing extraordinary things. Characters who struggle with human frailties and the complexities of life. People like you and me. These selected vignettes are mostly on the dark side of life, but I also write about the lighter side. I hope you enjoy them.

I really had no intention of writing my memories. Who would be interested? I felt it would be looked upon as an ego trip or a form of catharsis to purge myself of any long sheltered impurities. Then my good friend, and daughter in law's dad, Chet Roistachers, began to gently prod and encourage me to write about my life, not so much for myself, as for my dear friends and family. It would be fun, he said. Chet should know, as he recently gave a beautifully written account of his own life. I wrestled with the idea for a while, then decided to take the plunge, so here it goes.