Alan Goldfein Livres

Buddy Becker lost his woman Sally Asher to a rabbi. Rabbi Paul Say. Buddy was a Jew. Buddy's woman Sally was a prostitute, from the depleted coal-hills of West Virginia. Both Buddy and the rabbi had met Sally when cruising the main acknowledged Baltimore hooker street for what men cruise hooker streets for. And Sally was a unique woman. The Rabbi Paul Say was a tormented man who, eventually, and not only because of his torment, came to find in himself a love for prostitute Sally Asher. Buddy Becker, the rabbi's competitor for Sally's love, is a hustler, but in a rather benevolent non-mercantile motif, and a reader who claims to have read Everything, from the ancient Greeks on through James Joyce. But hooker Sally Asher is different- She's special-her sentiments, her perceptions, her instinctive understandings, even her weaknesses. She may be the most honest and trustworthy of this unlikely trio. The rabbi's cruising for a prostitute had to do with embarrassment and inexperience and the painful contest between biology and religion, while Buddy Becker's cruising had to do with habit and spare time killing, and fun. But both men, afflicted by their warpings of weakness, fell in love with this unusual lost "hickabilly", who was, in her way, one strong woman, . . Emotional adulthood for hustler and for rabbi? Two marred men to be stirred and risen.

Berkeley: The guidance counselor needs guidance. His Norwegian girlfriend is discontented; his ex-wife feels not dissimilar: while searching for spirit the counselor is bleeding from material parts best left unmentioned; his grandson has fallen in love with a girl unapproved-of by the family, as she is “Nice but black”—and he has fallen in love with that selfsame girl. For him the race problem is no problem. Age is. As is the astonishing fact that this poetically gifted girl, this incurable truth seeker, seems to like this oldie fellow back. In this novel of original sensibility we have a spiritual man in his own honest-quirky way, a conscientious and fiercely compassionate man who has tried to guide adolescents during the length of his working life, who now must fight being an adolescent chaser and becoming an adolescent then himself. The road to good intentions can be paved with hellish tars. Yes, this is peerlessly funny stuff, but its dilemmas scrape against life’s painful truths as well.

In this humorous yet compelling expose, acclaimed novelist Alan Goldfein examines the contrasts between America and Europe, drawing on his extensive experience living in Europe half the year. He highlights the hidden ways in which America struggles against "the old world," revealing the surprising wealth of "poor 'old' Europe" compared to the poverty found in wealthy America. Goldfein critiques the inefficiencies of American systems, noting that European infrastructure—such as toilets, radiators, parking meters, trains, and roads—outperforms its American counterparts. He argues that being an employee in Europe offers better wages, free time, companionship, and respect. While French students often know classic American authors, many American students lack basic historical knowledge. The disparity between the rich and poor is stark, with America's wealthy far exceeding Europe's, while its poor are significantly worse off. Goldfein’s unique approach uses Europe as a lens to better understand American issues. He suggests that merely describing America's problems leads to repetitive negativity, lacking the context of a comparable world. By examining these challenges through a European perspective, Goldfein sheds light on the necessary steps for America's national renewal.