2016 ‘PINNACLE PRIZE’ BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Selections made by: Long Island Arts Critic, Jeb Ladouceur
Syndicated Arts Critic, Jeb Ladouceur, has announced choices for 2015 books of the year. The ‘Pinnacle Prize’ selections are made in four categories – Most Historically Noteworthy (in any genre) – Best Memoir – Best Biography – and Best Novel. In the national competition, winning authors may be residents of any of the fifty States, though choices are weighted in favor of Long Island writers over the age of 18. Local author and former St. John’s University basketball star, Gus Alfieri was the lone Long Islander prevailing in this year’s contest. ‘Pinnacle’ recipients are chosen by Ladouceur who is a novelist, and retired journalist. He is a charter Long Island Authors’ Circle member who lives in Smithtown, L.I.
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HISTORICALLY NOTEWORTHY
“Crisis of Character”
Gary J. Bern – 283 pages – Center Street
In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that this reviewer is not a fan of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Thus, we have attempted to soft-pedal the book’s many caustic criticisms of the former Democratic candidate for president … because it should not be assumed that the critique is intended as a device to support the election of Clinton’s opponent, Republican Donald J. Trump.
It is widely known that ‘Crisis of Character’s’ author, Gary J. Byrne, has written a no-holds-barred condemnation of the former First Lady and Secretary of State. What prospective readers of this runaway best seller might not know, however, is that the book is loaded with incidents in the career of the retired Secret Service Officer that touch on interesting aspects of life as a presidential protector, but refer only obliquely to Clinton. These vignettes may be referred to, it seems to me, without castigating Hillary Clinton in the process.
For instance, we might be surprised to learn that smoking cigarettes is very popular among Secret Service people. Indeed Gary Byrne reveals that during the Clinton administration, agents assigned to protect the president and his wife, knowing that Mrs. Clinton hated smoking and despised those who smoked, often intentionally lit up out of doors when they saw her coming … just to provoke her. The practice was not forbidden, and there was little that FLOTUS (the First Lady of the United States) could do about it.
Or this … a frequent White House guest of the Clintons, sex guru Dr. Ruth Westheimer, claimed she had been the one to persuade Bill Clinton finally to run for president. That fact is interesting in itself, but it’s perhaps compounded by the knowledge that the tiny woman had been a sniper in the Israeli Army during the early days of its founding. She once poked none other than Officer Byrne (the author) with her finger and boasted, “I can put a bullet in your chest from 200 yards, young man.”
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BEST MEMOIR
“The Heart of a Champion”
Gus Alfieri – 265 pages – All-American Sports Press
Few figures in the world of sports have accomplished what the legendary St. John’s basketball star Gus Alfieri has … whether as player, coach, or memoirist. I would state here, and proudly so, that I am a personal friend of the author, whose compelling new book, ‘The Heart of a Champion,’ is the subject of this review.
It bears pointing out that my relationship with Gus Alfieri brings with it several advantages when critiquing his work, because we were classmates at St. John’s University during the years when Gus was one of immortal Coach Joe Lapchick’s standout players. I can vouch for the fact that Alfieri’s recollections in this inspiring memoir are spot-on.
Sports celebrities are frequently known to embellish their accomplishments, and for the most part, these exaggerations constitute innocent embroideries that can be overlooked. In Gus’s case, no such accommodation of hyperbole is necessary. Indeed, the man usually understates his own role in the successes of the various basketball teams with which he has been associated … whether as player or coach.
I get the distinct impression that this rags-to-riches story of Gus Alfieri’s rise from modest Brooklyn roots to the pinnacle of schoolboy coaching would resonate well with Hollywood producers and directors. It’s a success story whose many magical facets can be told most effectively only by the person who lived them. In the case of the championship St. Anthony’s High School mentor, that person happens to be a highly gifted author … and more importantly, a world-class shaper of character.
There are any number of ‘blurbs’ concerning ‘The Heart of a Champion’ that have been penned by sports legends (like Dean Smith, Lou Carnesecca, and Mike Francesa) and most of them seem to be directed to would-be basketball coaches. But this fine book is infinitely more than a coaching manual. It’s a guide to the pursuit of excellence … no matter what the goal … and regardless of the obstacles one might be required to overcome in life.
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BEST BIOGRAPHY
“Hemingway in Love”
A.E. Hotchner – 172 pages – St. Martin’s Press
As most Hemingway aficionados will likely do when they read A.E. Hotchner’s masterfully written account of his friend Ernest’s marriages, ‘Hemingway in Love’ … and ‘Hem’s’ disastrous love of two women simultaneously … I absorbed this brief book in a single session. In fact, at one point I even became eager to finish … and start all over again. (I re-read the biographical text the following evening, by the way).
It’s no news that Ernest Hemingway was married four times … that his one true love appears to have been his first wife, Hadley … that Hadley’s successors were Pauline, Martha, and Mary (in that order) … and that the most romantically stimulating relationship of the four clearly was his liaison with the wealthy seductress, Pauline Pfeiffer.
But even after a lifetime of reading everything one could lay one’s hands on by and about the ‘great’ Hemingway, I found much in Hotchner’s book that I hadn’t known. For instance, at one point, Ernest described himself to his friend ‘Hotch’ as a young husband who, upon meeting the determined Pauline, was “…as stupid as a bird dog who goes out with anyone with a gun.” Immediately, we see how Hotchner quotes this perfect metaphor to paint the swarthy author/sportsman. How intriguing that he should find himself the unsuspecting target of a different kind of hunter … this one wrapped in a high-fashion outfit right out of the pages of ‘Vogue.’
This critic is not one who considers Hemingway’s writing all that exquisite. I’m more interested in the part and parcel of the man’s existence than in his often repetitive prose as such. Accordingly, there’s much about the man I’d like to have seen explored here: e.g. why he felt compelled frequently to marry women who were his seniors … or how he really reacted when Hadley lost a number of ‘Papa’s’ manuscripts, including their carbon copies, on a train (never to be recovered).
That would have been interesting to know.
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BEST NOVEL
“The Swans of Avenue”
Melanie Benjamin – 341 pages – Delacorte Press
Anyone who thinks a writer cannot create a spellbinding novel about a weird little gay man and a stunningly beautiful trophy wife (someone else’s of course) is in for a hugely rewarding surprise when they read Melanie Benjamin’s ‘The Swans of Fifth Avenue.’
What’s more, every devotee of the ‘faction’ genre (fiction based on fact, a la, ‘In Cold Blood’) will find it impossible to put this fine book aside once they’ve delved into page one. There the reader is immediately seduced with the wonderful opening line: “When he was young, when they were all young—Truman Capote was a hell of a lot of fun to be around.” Three hundred pages later, the masterful Ms. Benjamin has none other than CBS Chairman, William S. Paley proclaiming, “I’m sorry I ever saw Truman Capote.”
Obviously, a lot has happened in the span of 90,000 words.
If, at the outset, we don’t know much about the players in Benjamin’s story (diminutive Truman Capote, incredibly wealthy Bill Paley, the gorgeous Babe Paley, self-indulgent Gloria Vanderbilt, et al) we certainly will when the brilliant wordsmith is through delineating them. She defines characters better than anyone this reviewer has read in a long time.
Anyone who has had occasion to meet Truman Capote (as I did in Bridgehampton in 1981) will find Melanie Benjamin’s word picture of the tiny literary giant uncannily accurate. Every lisp, finger flick, and salacious giggle is perfectly drawn. In the end, as we know, even Truman’s adoring ‘Swans’ deserted him … and the pathos is palpable.
It’s difficult to believe that Benjamin never knew any of the people she describes so convincingly in ‘The Swans of Fifth Avenue’ … or that she never lived in New York City … a venue she outlines as the most seasoned tour guide might. The woman has researched her subjects to a fare-thee-well!
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Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of a dozen novels, and his book and theater reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. His newest book, THE GHOSTWRITERS, explores the bizarre relationship between the late Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Ladouceur’s recently completed thriller, THE SOUTHWICK INCIDENT, is due next month. It involves a radicalized Yale student and his CIA pursuers. Mr. Ladouceur’s revealing website is www.JebsBooks.com