Blog Archives
Dementia Man
Dementia Man tells the story of Sam Simon as he moves from early memory lapses to a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and then early-stage Alzheimer’s. He shares vivid scenes from his life. He brings the reader into the raw moments of confusion, fear, stubborn hope, and even humor as he and his wife, Susan, navigate a medical system that often leaves people like him stranded. The book blends memoir, social critique, and a call for change. It follows Sam’s love story, his activist past, his moments inside what he calls The Nothingness Place, and his determination to choose life for as long as he can.
This is an emotional memoir. The writing feels close to the skin, almost like Sam is talking straight at me from across a kitchen table. His descriptions are sharp and strange at the same time. I kept pausing because the images stayed with me. His voice has this mix of clarity and fog that mirrors the disease he is trying to explain. Some passages made me laugh because he can be blunt and warm in the same breath. He shows how lonely and scary cognitive decline can be when the world does not know how to help. What struck me most was how he refused to let fear become the whole story.
He questions the medical system in a way that feels earned, not angry for the sake of it. He wants navigators for people with cognitive disorders. He wants society to change the way we talk about brain diseases. He wants families to have real support. His push for dignity feels bold and simple at the same time. The honesty about his own confusion and frustration gave the book a heartbeat. It is not a tidy narrative, and that is exactly what makes it feel real.
I would recommend this book to caregivers, medical professionals, families who are beginning this journey, and anyone who wants to understand what cognitive decline feels like from the inside. It is also a strong read for advocates and students in health fields who need to hear a patient’s voice in full color. Above all, it is for readers who want a story about choosing life even when life gets hard.
Pages: 209 | ASIN : B0G1TZRVXL
Film Noirs
Starry Starry Noir Rebels and Censors is part history, part commentary, and part elegy that uncovers the lives behind the films, actors, directors, censors, and outcasts, and weaves a human tale out of forgotten reels. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I admire the work academics do on the much-studied genre of film noir. But I find the jargon and detachment from enjoying the films daunting. Discussing the social and philosophical aspects of film noir can be entertaining and that was the important goal of my book. Not everyone will be familiar with the work of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, but that is what he achieved in his films, seamlessly interweaving the intellectual and the entertaining. In my book, I have a lengthy appraisal of Kurosawa’s 1949 noir Stray Dog, one of my favorites.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
An analyst of classic Hollywood will see the sexism that devalued actor/ producer/ inventor Hedy Lamarr and actor/ director/ producer Ida Lupino. Another striking issue is censorship which reduced the quality of films and financially punished producers with costly delays. All for the questionable premise that objectionable films cause moral decay. If this is true wouldn’t censors be morally bankrupt from watching so many “dirty” films? The creative ways movie craftspeople overcame the burdens of censorship and low budgets spark much admiration.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Surprises sprang from how the film noirs were created. Ida Lupino interviewed the young man on death row who was at the centre of The Hitch-Hiker. Kurosawa explained how he came to use music that clashed with images. Contrapuntal they call it and the neo-noir creators Martin Scorsese and the Coen Brothers love using it. The Great Flamarion 1945 is a good movie but open to a charge of misogyny. It came from a short story by feminist author Vicki Baum.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Starry Starry Noir Rebels and Censors?
I love film noir, and I hope to share that love with readers who will rush to watch some of the great movies mentioned. It does not sound very professional but my books on film noir took longer than expected because I would watch or rewatch films I was writing about. The other takeaway is, don’t let today’s censors grind you down.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
Beautiful Hedy Lamarr left the studio system that devalued her talent. Censorship and perfectionism derailed her career as an independent producer.
Anti-establishment content led to the infamous blacklisting of film noir artists, but it was sexual dalliance with an in-law of a studio boss that resulted in director Edgar G. Ulmer being banished from the major studios.
Silent-film director Erich von Stroheim was banished just as the talkies began because he exceeded his allocated budget and added salacious content one time too many. He resumed acting and continued writing.
Ida Lupino was a brilliant noir actor who began her Hollywood career as a teenager and was suspended over the years for her refusal to accept inferior roles as an ingenue. Studio heads called her Loopy Lupino, but she turned in great performances in many noirs before becoming the first woman to direct a Hollywood noir.
For the first decade of his illustrious career, all the films of Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa were censored.
First, the wartime military expungers of Imperial Japan censored Kurosawa’s works.
After the war, the American occupation military censors cast their eyes over his films. Despite the censors looking over his shoulder, Kurosawa was able to create a tough noir that stands as one of the greatest of them all. It is called Stray Dog 1949.
LITERARY TITAN 