FLOWER CITY BLUES

by Allen R. Rosenberg

It’s the end of the Psychedelic Sixties and the beginning of the Funky Seventies. Follow Fonzal Raab, A charming bad boy with a twinkle in his eye, a bemused smile on his face, and mischief on his mind. It’s Sex, drugs, rock-n-roll, and a little bit of crime as Fonzal raises hell on a street level romp through the Flower City. When he convinces his new friend, Don Valentine, the self-indulgent, street-savvy owner of the Sandman Lounge, to introduce him to local underworld characters that will pony up big bucks for one of Fonzal’s illegal telephone Blue Boxes all hell breaks loose. Fonzal deals with mobsters, radicals, and a drug deal gone bad. He dodges the cops, the DA, the FBI, telephone company security, and a real bullet. When Fonzal isn’t peddling Blue Boxes he takes time to party-hardy with a cast of Hippies, exotic dancers, and even a famous Rock star. In the meantime he struggles to remain relevant in his young daughter’s life, watches helplessly as his father battles the ravages of dementia, and yearns to meet the love of his life. A rip-roaring no holds barred mix of crazy, funny, dangerous, and touching. Packed with in-your-face dialog and a gallery of bizarre characters.

399 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2014

Reviews

[Elly Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Flower City Blues, Fonzal Raab is a dutiful Jewish son and a father who loves his baby girl. It’s the psychedelic 1970s and, after a failed marriage, he leaves his teaching job to open a head shop next to a bar on Monroe Ave in the Flower City (Rochester, NY). Many of his friends are shady and involve Fonzal in drug deals and assembling illegal “Blue Boxes” to sell to criminals and mobsters who want to hide their calls from the law. Fonzal is not an angel, but he strives to rise above all the disappointments in life and survive.
I enjoyed some laughs, felt the tension building, and shed some tears. Allen Rosenberg’s story keeps you rooting for Fonzal despite some of his questionable decisions. I recommend this book, even for conservative people like me, and I loved all the references to real places in Rochester.