Upper West Side Story
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'Is your fiction really about you? This question is always asked of writers. Here and there I use snippets from my life and the lives of people I know. In Upper West Side Story, I tell about a young boy whose new bike is stolen by a school friend who pedals away with it while they are playing together. The kid hands the bike over to older boys who dismantle it to sell the parts. the young boy can't understand why his school mate would do this: If he had not, they would both have a bike to ride and now there is nothing. This actually happened to my own son. It tore me apart to explain to him why a child would do this, the anger and frustration that makes children so destructive. In the book, this becomes the childhood story of a man who grows up to be a social activist, working to mend the social and racial divide in his city. So yes, in a way, fiction does come from the author's life. But it is intricately transformed.'
Susan Pashman
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NEW BOOK!
UPPER WEST SIDE STORY, Pub date: MAY 27th!
Web: http://susanpashman.com/
Blog: kidsandrace.com...
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'In my forthcoming new novel, "Upper West Side Story," the narrator, a mother, has, with the best of intentions, begun a program at her kids' school to serve gifted children, including her own son. When a terrible accident tears the community apart, she hears for the first time how some of the black parents with kids in that program view it. “What you know and ain’t saying is how that program you started got going in the first place. You knew it wouldn’t do my Louis no good being in with a group of kids much smarter than him. Wouldn’t do him no good being showed all that privilege, getting taken down to the opera house and seeing how some other folks spend their money that he’s never going to have.” “That’s unfair, Deandra. The whole point is that talented, bright children like Louis can use that enrichment to make their way up.” “If my boy don’t get thrown in jail by the time he’s seventeen, he’s going into the Marines. What’s the opera and the art museum and the trip to that science place in D.C. gonna do for him, huh? Tell me what all this is doing for my Louis besides making him feel like the poor, dumb kid he is?” “Louis is not dumb. He wouldn’t be in the—” “Louis didn’t make the cut for that class. You know that. He isn’t dumb, you’re right about that. But he’s no book reader like LeVar and Ronnie and them. He’s in that class because you and some other parents needed him to be in it so you could have enough kids for the class to happen. You been using my boy for three years now. He’s not getting nothing from it but feeling bad about himself!” “Louis was in the second cut.” “He isn’t right for that class. Never was.” “He is a lot brighter than the kids in the rest of the school. If it were a larger school and the program could have two classes—” “But it don’t, and the truth is—the truth you have known all along is—you put my boy and maybe a dozen others in there so there could be a Special Enrichment class. And that’s so your boy could have the enrichment and Cyrus and them Asian kids could, and all the time you folks at the school are using my boy and them others!”'
'Is your fiction really about you? This question is always asked of writers. Here and there I use snippets from my life and the lives of people I know. In Upper West Side Story, I tell about a young boy whose new bike is stolen by a school friend who pedals away with it while they are playing together. The kid hands the bike over to older boys who dismantle it to sell the parts. the young boy can't understand why his school mate would do this: If he had not, they would both have a bike to ride and now there is nothing. This actually happened to my own son. It tore me apart to explain to him why a child would do this, the anger and frustration that makes children so destructive. In the book, this becomes the childhood story of a man who grows up to be a social activist, working to mend the social and racial divide in his city. So yes, in a way, fiction does come from the author's life. But it is intricately transformed.'
'So excited to be launching Upper West Side Story at a gorgeous summery venue, Dodds & Eder HOME in Sag Harbor. Big thank you to curator, Kathy Zeiger, who arranged this event. Check this space for details as we approach the launch date, June 13! In the meantime, do check out Dodds and Eder on Bridge Street in Sag Harbor and drool over their marvelous home furnishings, beautifully landscaped sculpture garden and demo kitchen. Best of all, it will be a comfortable place for all who attend the reading. So save the date: June 13!'
'If fiction should be a "seamless web," then seeing the seams should detract from our enjoyment. Mc Ewan's "The Children Act," is a compilation of mini-lectures on law, ethics, even geology, strung together on a slender thread of narrative. Did this bother you as you read it?'
'If you are a writer, how often would you say your characters are based on people you know? If they are not, how do you manage to keep their physical and psychological characteristics before you as you write? I myself, always have someone in mind when a character is described, but once that character gets involved in the plot I've created for it, the character becomes someone new. I guess what I"m saying is that the people come from my world, their stories are what I make up. Not always, but most of the time. What's your experience?'
'Reading the spellbinding new memoir by friend Marian Lindberg. I am reminded of what a friend said to me after reading my first novel: I heard it all in your voice and saw you writing it as I read. I wonder if we can read works by people we know well the same way we read books by those we've never met. What do you think?'
'"Upper West Side Story" is a tale of parenting in New York City. Two women, one black, one white, are best friends. Their thirteen year-old sons are also best friends. They are working intently to build a new, colorblind world. Until everything goes terribly wrong. You can win a free, signed edition before the May 27 pub date by entering the Goodreads Giveaway. Ends April 18th. Check it out at Goodreads.com'
'Sending books to bloggers all over the English-speaking world in preparation for 17-stop blog tour. Again, the excitement mounts as the pub date approaches. I'm happy that there is so much for the author to do in this virtual age; allows us to share in the thrill of getting set to launch. Happy holidays to one and all!'
'Just completed a set of ten questions to be asked at interviews, and then sat down to "interview myself" as I wrote out answers I might give. An very interesting experience, trying to talk about myself and my book in ten neat--and short-- answers. Not quite an elevator pitch, but something like that. So now I'm ready for the Author Interview at LTV, our local cable station, and for whatever else the PR lady finds for me as she tries to book me into readings in twelve cities over the summer. Less than two months to release date and things are getting very exciting indeed!'
Posts To Page
Jim Hart
April 24 at 5:38am
Nice page! Feel free to view my work at jimhartpoet.com
Susan Pashman
Like · Comment
Sue Abrul Mullis
April 14 at 11:10am
Hi Susan, Thank you for accepting my friendship. Looking forward to seeing you on F.B. Sue M.
Susan Pashman
Like · Comment
Emily Bilman
April 5 at 6:00pm
Please visit my Author's Page at Emily C. Bilman and like it if you do, indeed.
Susan Pashman
1Unlike · Comment
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Susan Pashman
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Susan Pashman
2 mins ·
In my forthcoming new novel, "Upper West Side Story," the narrator, a mother, has, with the best of intentions, begun a program at her kids' school to serve gifted children, including her own son. When a terrible accident tears the community apart, she hears for the first time how some of the black parents with kids in that program view it.
“What you know and ain’t saying is how that program you started got going in the first place. You knew it wouldn’t do my Louis no good being in with a group of kids much smarter than him. Wouldn’t do him no good being showed all that privilege, getting taken down to the opera house and seeing how some other folks spend their money that he’s never going to have.”
“That’s unfair, Deandra. The whole point is that talented, bright children like Louis can use that enrichment to make their way up.”
“If my boy don’t get thrown in jail by the time he’s seventeen, he’s going into the Marines. What’s the opera and the art museum and the trip to that science place in D.C. gonna do for him, huh? Tell me what all this is doing for my Louis besides making him feel like the poor, dumb kid he is?”
“Louis is not dumb. He wouldn’t be in the—”
“Louis didn’t make the cut for that class. You know that. He isn’t dumb, you’re right about that. But he’s no book reader like LeVar and Ronnie and them. He’s in that class because you and some other parents needed him to be in it so you could have enough kids for the class to happen. You been using my boy for three years now. He’s not getting nothing from it but feeling bad about himself!”
“Louis was in the second cut.”
“He isn’t right for that class. Never was.”
“He is a lot brighter than the kids in the rest of the
school. If it were a larger school and the program could have two classes—”
“But it don’t, and the truth is—the truth you have known all along is—you put my boy and maybe a dozen others in there so there could be a Special Enrichment class. And that’s so your boy could have the enrichment and Cyrus and them Asian kids could, and all the time you folks at the school are using my boy and them others!”
This week
9Page Likes
38Post Reach
Recent
2015
2014
See Your Ad Here
'Is your fiction really about you? This question is always asked of writers. Here and there I use snippets from my life and the lives of people I know. In Upper West Side Story, I tell about a young boy whose new bike is stolen by a school friend who pedals away with it while they are playing together. The kid hands the bike over to older boys who dismantle it to sell the parts. the young boy can't understand why his school mate would do this: If he had not, they would both have a bike to ride and now there is nothing. This actually happened to my own son. It tore me apart to explain to him why a child would do this, the anger and frustration that makes children so destructive. In the book, this becomes the childhood story of a man who grows up to be a social activist, working to mend the social and racial divide in his city. So yes, in a way, fiction does come from the author's life. But it is intricately transformed.'
Susan Pashman
Is your fiction really about you? This question is always asked of writers. Here and ther...
2
1
Boost Post
PageMessages7NotificationsInsightsPosts
Settings
Help
Cover Photo
Change Cover
Susan Pashman
Update Profile Picture
Susan Pashman
Author
Message
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TimelineselectedAboutPhotosLikesMore
377 likes +9 this week
Diane M. Robinson and 329 other friends
38 post reach this week
You're Almost at 500 Likes
Promote your Page to reach more people.
Invite friends to like this Page
Find New Customers
Connect with more of the people who matter to you
Promote Page
About
NEW BOOK!
UPPER WEST SIDE STORY, Pub date: MAY 27th!
Web: http://susanpashman.com/
Blog: kidsandrace.com...
Promote Website
http://susanpashman.com/
Photos
'In my forthcoming new novel, "Upper West Side Story," the narrator, a mother, has, with the best of intentions, begun a program at her kids' school to serve gifted children, including her own son. When a terrible accident tears the community apart, she hears for the first time how some of the black parents with kids in that program view it. “What you know and ain’t saying is how that program you started got going in the first place. You knew it wouldn’t do my Louis no good being in with a group of kids much smarter than him. Wouldn’t do him no good being showed all that privilege, getting taken down to the opera house and seeing how some other folks spend their money that he’s never going to have.” “That’s unfair, Deandra. The whole point is that talented, bright children like Louis can use that enrichment to make their way up.” “If my boy don’t get thrown in jail by the time he’s seventeen, he’s going into the Marines. What’s the opera and the art museum and the trip to that science place in D.C. gonna do for him, huh? Tell me what all this is doing for my Louis besides making him feel like the poor, dumb kid he is?” “Louis is not dumb. He wouldn’t be in the—” “Louis didn’t make the cut for that class. You know that. He isn’t dumb, you’re right about that. But he’s no book reader like LeVar and Ronnie and them. He’s in that class because you and some other parents needed him to be in it so you could have enough kids for the class to happen. You been using my boy for three years now. He’s not getting nothing from it but feeling bad about himself!” “Louis was in the second cut.” “He isn’t right for that class. Never was.” “He is a lot brighter than the kids in the rest of the school. If it were a larger school and the program could have two classes—” “But it don’t, and the truth is—the truth you have known all along is—you put my boy and maybe a dozen others in there so there could be a Special Enrichment class. And that’s so your boy could have the enrichment and Cyrus and them Asian kids could, and all the time you folks at the school are using my boy and them others!”'
'Is your fiction really about you? This question is always asked of writers. Here and there I use snippets from my life and the lives of people I know. In Upper West Side Story, I tell about a young boy whose new bike is stolen by a school friend who pedals away with it while they are playing together. The kid hands the bike over to older boys who dismantle it to sell the parts. the young boy can't understand why his school mate would do this: If he had not, they would both have a bike to ride and now there is nothing. This actually happened to my own son. It tore me apart to explain to him why a child would do this, the anger and frustration that makes children so destructive. In the book, this becomes the childhood story of a man who grows up to be a social activist, working to mend the social and racial divide in his city. So yes, in a way, fiction does come from the author's life. But it is intricately transformed.'
'So excited to be launching Upper West Side Story at a gorgeous summery venue, Dodds & Eder HOME in Sag Harbor. Big thank you to curator, Kathy Zeiger, who arranged this event. Check this space for details as we approach the launch date, June 13! In the meantime, do check out Dodds and Eder on Bridge Street in Sag Harbor and drool over their marvelous home furnishings, beautifully landscaped sculpture garden and demo kitchen. Best of all, it will be a comfortable place for all who attend the reading. So save the date: June 13!'
'If fiction should be a "seamless web," then seeing the seams should detract from our enjoyment. Mc Ewan's "The Children Act," is a compilation of mini-lectures on law, ethics, even geology, strung together on a slender thread of narrative. Did this bother you as you read it?'
'If you are a writer, how often would you say your characters are based on people you know? If they are not, how do you manage to keep their physical and psychological characteristics before you as you write? I myself, always have someone in mind when a character is described, but once that character gets involved in the plot I've created for it, the character becomes someone new. I guess what I"m saying is that the people come from my world, their stories are what I make up. Not always, but most of the time. What's your experience?'
'Reading the spellbinding new memoir by friend Marian Lindberg. I am reminded of what a friend said to me after reading my first novel: I heard it all in your voice and saw you writing it as I read. I wonder if we can read works by people we know well the same way we read books by those we've never met. What do you think?'
'"Upper West Side Story" is a tale of parenting in New York City. Two women, one black, one white, are best friends. Their thirteen year-old sons are also best friends. They are working intently to build a new, colorblind world. Until everything goes terribly wrong. You can win a free, signed edition before the May 27 pub date by entering the Goodreads Giveaway. Ends April 18th. Check it out at Goodreads.com'
'Sending books to bloggers all over the English-speaking world in preparation for 17-stop blog tour. Again, the excitement mounts as the pub date approaches. I'm happy that there is so much for the author to do in this virtual age; allows us to share in the thrill of getting set to launch. Happy holidays to one and all!'
'Just completed a set of ten questions to be asked at interviews, and then sat down to "interview myself" as I wrote out answers I might give. An very interesting experience, trying to talk about myself and my book in ten neat--and short-- answers. Not quite an elevator pitch, but something like that. So now I'm ready for the Author Interview at LTV, our local cable station, and for whatever else the PR lady finds for me as she tries to book me into readings in twelve cities over the summer. Less than two months to release date and things are getting very exciting indeed!'
Posts To Page
Jim Hart
April 24 at 5:38am
Nice page! Feel free to view my work at jimhartpoet.com
Susan Pashman
Like · Comment
Sue Abrul Mullis
April 14 at 11:10am
Hi Susan, Thank you for accepting my friendship. Looking forward to seeing you on F.B. Sue M.
Susan Pashman
Like · Comment
Emily Bilman
April 5 at 6:00pm
Please visit my Author's Page at Emily C. Bilman and like it if you do, indeed.
Susan Pashman
1Unlike · Comment
English (US) · Privacy · Terms · Cookies ·
More
Facebook © 2015
Susan Pashman
Status
Photo / Video
Offer, Event +
Susan Pashman
2 mins ·
In my forthcoming new novel, "Upper West Side Story," the narrator, a mother, has, with the best of intentions, begun a program at her kids' school to serve gifted children, including her own son. When a terrible accident tears the community apart, she hears for the first time how some of the black parents with kids in that program view it.
“What you know and ain’t saying is how that program you started got going in the first place. You knew it wouldn’t do my Louis no good being in with a group of kids much smarter than him. Wouldn’t do him no good being showed all that privilege, getting taken down to the opera house and seeing how some other folks spend their money that he’s never going to have.”
“That’s unfair, Deandra. The whole point is that talented, bright children like Louis can use that enrichment to make their way up.”
“If my boy don’t get thrown in jail by the time he’s seventeen, he’s going into the Marines. What’s the opera and the art museum and the trip to that science place in D.C. gonna do for him, huh? Tell me what all this is doing for my Louis besides making him feel like the poor, dumb kid he is?”
“Louis is not dumb. He wouldn’t be in the—”
“Louis didn’t make the cut for that class. You know that. He isn’t dumb, you’re right about that. But he’s no book reader like LeVar and Ronnie and them. He’s in that class because you and some other parents needed him to be in it so you could have enough kids for the class to happen. You been using my boy for three years now. He’s not getting nothing from it but feeling bad about himself!”
“Louis was in the second cut.”
“He isn’t right for that class. Never was.”
“He is a lot brighter than the kids in the rest of the
school. If it were a larger school and the program could have two classes—”
“But it don’t, and the truth is—the truth you have known all along is—you put my boy and maybe a dozen others in there so there could be a Special Enrichment class. And that’s so your boy could have the enrichment and Cyrus and them Asian kids could, and all the time you folks at the school are using my boy and them others!”
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