His latest book is a memoir titled MISFITS
AND SUPERMEN: TWO BROTHERS’ JOURNEY ALONG THE SPECTRUM.
Website: www.misfitsandsupermen.com.
The bond of
brotherhood is hard to break, but a lifetime of dealing with familial
expectation, bitterness, and psychological disorders can bend and warp it into
something nearly unrecognizable. This story tells the tale of two brothers:
Melvyn, the elder, whose
amalgamation of disorders leave him completely unable
to function within society; and Stephen, the younger, whose own emotional and
psychological issues are overshadowed to the point where he becomes little more
than a pale and twisted reflection of his brother.
On different ends of the same spectrum, Melvyn is blissfully
unaware of their troubling connection (or so his brother can only assume), but
for Stephen, it is undeniable. He lives with it every day, sensing his own
otherness in every twitch, outburst, and inability of his brother to overcome
his inner demons. Left largely on his own to deal with his peculiarities-while
carrying the burden of being "the normal one," of whom much is
expected- Stephen begins a complicated and unpredictable journey, one which
will take him as far from his brother as he can manage to get, even as it
brings them inexorably closer.
A portion of proceeds from this book will go toward the Camp Cuheca Scholarship - Melvyn D. Starger fund at Waterford Country School, Quaker Hill, CT., to help fund a two-week summer residency at the camp. For more information about Waterford Country School, please email development@waterforddcs.org.
A portion of proceeds from this book will go toward the Camp Cuheca Scholarship - Melvyn D. Starger fund at Waterford Country School, Quaker Hill, CT., to help fund a two-week summer residency at the camp. For more information about Waterford Country School, please email development@waterforddcs.org.
“A finely crafted, affecting memoir of
two brothers.”
-- Kirkus
Reviews
“If you want
an honest book about life with mental illness in the family, this is it. Great
writing. Brutally honest. Hard to put it down. Great stories about CT, NY and
CA from the 1940s to 2000.”
--Amazon Reviewer
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Welcome to My Bookish Pleasures. We would love to get to know you and your book! When did you begin writing?
I began writing when I was
about 7-8 years old. I would scribble little adventure tales on available
paper.
Describe your writing process.
When and where do you write?
These days, I write in my home
office. I’ve written on trains, buses, planes, in motel and hotel rooms,
anywhere I could to capture a thought or image that came into my head. My best
writing time is before noon.
Can you tell us about your most
recent release?
The book is titled Misfits and Supermen: Two Brothers’ Journey
along the Spectrum. It’s a memoir about the relationship between me and my
older brother, who was burdened with multiple psychiatric disorders that led to
his being institutionalized most of his life.
How did you get the idea for
the book?
I started out wanting to write
my brother’s life story, as a way of preventing his memory from disappearing,
something that can and does happen to people in my brother’s situation. When he
died, I felt the urgency more than ever. It took years for me to face the story
head-on, and five years of writing it. Now, it exists, and so does he.
What was the most challenging
aspect of writing your book?
Revisiting and reliving painful
events in my and my family’s life generated by my brother’s conditions.
Do you find it easier to write
nonfiction?
Being a professional
journalist, I know the mechanics of research, interviewing, editing, etc. In
that sense, writing nonfiction may be easier.
Do you have plans to write
fiction?
I’ve written fiction and no doubt
will again.
What projects are you currently
working on?
My main activity right now is
promoting Misfits and Supermen, but I
have no doubt I’ll be back at writing new work again.
What advice would you offer to
new or aspiring nonfiction authors?
If you have what it takes to be
a writer, don’t be discouraged by rejections from publishers. Take the
criticism and advice of family members and friends with a grain of salt, unless
they are professional writers. Write true and honestly, no matter how painful.
Never give up!
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