Tag: Massachusetts novel

tidepool bookshop in worcester hosts ‘louie’ talk

The lovely indie store TidePool Bookshop in Worcester kindly provided me the opportunity to chat about Louie on the Rocks with longtime journalist and former opinion editor of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Tony Simollardes.

Tony also reflected on his Clark University writing students’ reactions to various Louie threads as I’d spoken with his class earlier in the semester. One poignant question one of his students asked asked made me realize something. Beyond the obvious connection between the deceased mother, Helen, in the novel, and my own mom who passed away in 2014. I realized that, perhaps, I was trying to imagine having conversations with my mother about the events of the day through the Helen character. (My mom would’ve been epically peeved by everything that’s been happening, just like Helen.)

talkin’ political polarization in families at the southborough public library

I enjoyed a substantive discussion with the folks at Southborough Public Library about political divisions in families during the Trump era, as well as how to deal with aging parents who make decisions that negatively affect their health and/or their finances, major themes explored in Louie on the Rocks.

Prior to the Q&A, I gave a 20-minute speech about the impact of our intense political divisions on not just our families but on our local communities as well. Here’s an excerpt:

My Louie character is a proxy for MAGA voters who see the world in which they grew up transformed into something they don’t recognize. Louie was a blue-collar worker who never went to college but who married and put his daughter through school. He thinks the world has left him behind and he’s angry about that. He lashes out against things that challenge his world view, that make him feel insecure, that make him feel less-than. 

Helen represents that middle-of-the-road person who wants to love and stand by Louie for the wonderful things he’s done, but who also chastises him for the homophobic things he says and for supporting a candidate whom she believes spouts hatred. 

The Lulu character is a proxy for progressive voters who just want to be free to live their own lives. They don’t understand why who they love or what kinds of food they choose to eat triggers some people. Lulu’s anger that her mother failed to cut Louie out of her life because of the hatred he espoused, echoes the feelings of a large portion of Democratic voters, particularly younger ones.

We’ve divided ourselves into camps. The MAGA camp, the anti-Trump camp. The pro-ICE immigration raids, the anti-immigration raids. … 

There seems to be no common ground any longer, no place to stand where someone isn’t hurling names at you. There seems to be no way for people to calmly discuss issues without the discussion sinking into black-and-white terms. 

We’ve been pushed into these camps as a response to the success of the MAGA movement and its leader. Their successful tactics – using anger, resentment, demonization, the it’s-us-or-them – have been co-opted across the world. 

I appreciated seeing friends and neighbors — and even my state representative! — in the audience, along with members of the Friends of the Southborough Public Library. Public libraries are our gems!

‘louie on the rocks’ book launch, feb. 15 in westborough, mass.

Please join me in celebrating the launch of my latest book, Louie on the Rocks, at Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough, Mass. on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m.

I’m honored that Worcester writer Kevin Koczwara — a former UMass-Amherst journalism student of mine — will be there to lead a writerly conversation with me about the book and its many themes, ranging from how political polarization affects families to how adult children should deal with struggling older parents.

After the conversation, we’ll do a Q&A, I’ll read a bit from the book, and then sign copies.