1 00:00:01,639 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: one oh six point seven Light FM. 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 2: Good morning and thanks for listening to Get Connected. How 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 2: does what happens when we're young and the choices we 6 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 2: make impact the path we find ourselves on later in life. 7 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:25,159 Speaker 2: How do our families, our friendships, our careers, and the 8 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 2: way we take in the world around us to find 9 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 2: our lives and contribute to where we end up. My 10 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 2: guest is writer Andreas Simon, author of the novel Did 11 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 2: You Have The Life You Wanted? An insightful tour of 12 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,279 Speaker 2: over fifty years of American cultural history is seen through 13 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 2: the eyes of a Jewish feminist in New York City. 14 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 2: Andreas Simon, Welcome to the show. 15 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Fana, great to be here. 16 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 2: Andreas Simon is the author of five award winning books, 17 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 2: including the historical novel As Fear Is Alive and the 18 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 2: memoir Beschert, The Granddaughter's Holocaust Quest. She is the recipient 19 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 2: of numerous literary wards, including the Ernest Hemingway First Novel Contest, 20 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 2: the Stark Short Fiction Prize, the Short Story Society Award 21 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,479 Speaker 2: and the Authors in the Park Short Story Writing Contest. 22 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 2: Her website is Andreassimon dot net. So this book, Did 23 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 2: You Have a Life You Wanted spans over a fifty 24 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 2: year period from nineteen sixty eight to twenty nineteen, spotlighting 25 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 2: the seventies the women who lived through it, all told 26 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 2: through the eyes of the main character, Anita. What inspired 27 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 2: the book, Andrea, and how was Anita created? 28 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 3: Well, I go back to a true incident that happened 29 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 3: to me that formed the prolog of the book. You 30 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 3: may recalled that Anita's husband had a patient who came 31 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 3: into the office and saw Anida's books there and traveling 32 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 3: to it, and she invited her to her book club, 33 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 3: and she had such a was meeting these book club 34 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 3: members for fifteen years, and she lived in Granti's village. Well, 35 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 3: that really happened to me. And when I got the 36 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 3: invitation in the mail for the book club, I saw 37 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 3: that she lived in the exact same building that I 38 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 3: lived in when I was a young woman in the 39 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 3: nineteen seventies in Greenwich Village, and I thought that was 40 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 3: some kind of a sign that I should go there. 41 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 3: So I did go to the book club, but it 42 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 3: prompted me to look back on my life in the 43 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 3: nineteen seventies. And I am a writer and I have 44 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,920 Speaker 3: been for many years, and not all book writing, but 45 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 3: other things as well. And I had a lot of 46 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 3: short stories in my draw that I never really did 47 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 3: much with, and I took out the ones that I 48 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 3: wrote about in the nineteen seventies started reading them. And 49 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 3: then I dread my friend who lived with me in 50 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 3: the nineteen seventies through the streets of Christopher Street, which 51 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 3: was where the apartment was up and down, and to 52 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 3: see what had changed and what didn't change, and that 53 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 3: all was fodder in my head. And I call it 54 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 3: a percolation, you know, thinking about it. And I decided 55 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 3: that there were a lot of things that we women 56 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 3: in the nineteen seventies were exposed to that were just 57 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:10,399 Speaker 3: sort of life altering, including the feminist movement. In Anita's case, 58 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 3: she had a consciousness raising room. It was the Her 59 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 3: apartment was right on the same steps of the Gay 60 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 3: Rights Parade, the first parade, and there was Attaca of 61 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 3: cost in New York, and there was a bit school 62 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 3: strike which she was involved in in Brooklyn. For was 63 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 3: Vietnam and stuff like that. So there were so many 64 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 3: life altering things that happened to her, and I decided 65 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 3: to see whether those events had a last thing effects 66 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 3: on her throughout her life, especially the choices she made 67 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 3: as a young woman. 68 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 2: It's very interesting. It does spend so much of the book. 69 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 2: The first half of the book at least passes through 70 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 2: the school strikes, Stonewall, as you mentioned, Vietnam, Attica, the 71 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 2: creeps on the subway in the seventies. Yeah, all these kinds. 72 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 3: I'm still around, I guess there are. 73 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 2: Anita's story in particular, begins with that disturbing scene of 74 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 2: her being attacked in Brooklyn. Yes, why did you start 75 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 2: her story with that event? 76 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 3: I felt that that was a seminal event in her 77 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 3: life that affected her. First of all, she was a caseworker. 78 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 3: That was something that women in those days chose, either 79 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 3: that or being a teacher when they chose a profession. 80 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,039 Speaker 3: It was something that women had to do. So she 81 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 3: chose that, and so she had to. This was so 82 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 3: traumatic for her that she wouldn't go back to the 83 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 3: field again. Of course, it was an unusual time and 84 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 3: it produced a lot of racial tension. But she was 85 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 3: physically attacked and she was traumatized, really, and I think 86 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 3: that had a lifelong effect on of somebody that actually 87 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 3: could hurt her physically, and it upset her whole notion 88 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 3: of being a Jew in New York and dealing with 89 00:04:56,839 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 3: racial issues and anti Semitism. It had a big effect 90 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 3: on her. And I felt that that was the starting 91 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 3: point of her life, that when she had to decide 92 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 3: what else she wanted to do and what was available 93 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 3: to her, And so that became the starting point. And 94 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 3: it's you know, it's a shocking first chapter, and I 95 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 3: don't want people to feel like, oh my god, all 96 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 3: these horrible things happen, but I think it affected her 97 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 3: also psychologically. 98 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 2: It's very interesting that story, unfortunately is and other things 99 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 2: that happened in the book to her in that sort 100 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 2: of vein, they're not that uncommon for women. I think 101 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 2: it's a story that will feel familiar. And one thing 102 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 2: the book does, I think, is allow people to see 103 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 2: the patterns over time that maybe you don't realize are 104 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:47,239 Speaker 2: happening while you're in them, right. 105 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 3: And even the sexism that she encountered, even from a woman, 106 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 3: but her boss who told her dress was too sure, 107 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 3: you know, I mean she didn't even realize that that 108 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 3: was a sexist remark until you know he's later. But 109 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 3: there were so many things that were fundamental to us 110 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 3: growing up that happened in that incident that symbolized it. 111 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 3: So I wanted to not just focus on that, but 112 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 3: to use that as a starting point. 113 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 2: My guest is award winning author Andrea Simon. Her latest 114 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 2: novel is Did You Have The Life You Wanted? An 115 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 2: anthem to the life affirming power of female friendship, following 116 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,719 Speaker 2: the journey of a Jewish feminist in New York City 117 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 2: beginning in nineteen sixty eight and going through twenty nineteen. 118 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 2: Her website is Andreasimon dot Nett. You're listening to get 119 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 2: connected on one O six point seven light FM. Amina 120 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 2: del Rio. Anita is most herself with her female friends. 121 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 2: Can you talk about those friendships and why they're such 122 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:44,799 Speaker 2: an important part of the story and her life. 123 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 3: Yes. I think that her friendships, especially from high school, 124 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 3: college and through the workplace, remained good friends most of 125 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,279 Speaker 3: her life. You know, wanted to diet, and some moved 126 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 3: away and all that, but in general they also formed 127 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 3: her consciousness raising group in the nineteen seventies, and that 128 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 3: was such a time of psychological introspection and examination of roles, 129 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 3: and she had the sounding to it, and she had 130 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 3: other people who could help her. Well. She wasn't that 131 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 3: good in a group therapy situation, but she was much 132 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 3: better in a feminist group because she felt such a 133 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 3: connection to these other women and it was very important 134 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 3: throughout her life. Unfortunately, I don't think that men have 135 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 3: such a connection in general. Of course there are exceptions, 136 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 3: or if they have connections at childhood, usually they don't 137 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 3: maintain them for whatever reason. But in this case, Anita 138 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 3: really relied on her female friends more than anybody to 139 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 3: get her through all these times and support her and 140 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 3: her decisions. 141 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 2: I'd like to talk about writing the book to you. 142 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 2: Believe in writing communities, yes, but what does being in 143 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 2: a writing community do for you? 144 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 3: Well, I have two writing groups them. It's probably thirty 145 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 3: years of us meeting and it dates back to the 146 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 3: Authormedal and Lendo, you know who wrote a lerin plen times. 147 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 3: She used to have these writing workshops at Saint John 148 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 3: the Divine Area, and some of my friends took these workshops, 149 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 3: and then it spawned other workshops. It sort of just grew. 150 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 3: So I didn't study with her, but I didn't meet 151 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 3: her through this thing, but I did join one of 152 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:27,680 Speaker 3: her offshoots, and that's been meeting, as I said, over 153 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 3: thirty years. Now we meet once a month. But we 154 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 3: used to all live in New York, and now people 155 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 3: are all scattered, so it basically a zoom grew and 156 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 3: all different kinds of writers. Some people stopped writing, but 157 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 3: you know, some are poets, some are novelists. And then 158 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 3: I started conducting a course online during the pandemic called 159 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 3: Writing about Your mom Without Guilt, and I had a 160 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 3: whole array of women from across the country and who 161 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 3: signed up for that class. No men, of course, not 162 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 3: that they weren't welcome, and including a woman from Australia. 163 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 3: And we started writing about the mothers. We got immediately 164 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,319 Speaker 3: emotional and it was very, very deep, and when the 165 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 3: course was over, nobody wanted to leave. We felt so 166 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 3: tired to each other. So we continued to meet and 167 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 3: I became like a member and not just the teacher, 168 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 3: and we decided to not just write about our mothers, 169 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 3: although they creep in all the time, and through a 170 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 3: few years we ended up getting enough material together to 171 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 3: publish an anthology which I edited and contributed to. I 172 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,320 Speaker 3: also that group meets once a month. Some people are 173 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 3: in both groups. It's a very important community for me, 174 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 3: you know, especially when you work at home, to have 175 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 3: people that you've been used as your readers to you 176 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,239 Speaker 3: or just as your supporters, and I depend on them immensely. 177 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 2: There's something to that conversation to it. It's in the 178 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 2: book as well, the threat of mothers and daughters and 179 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,199 Speaker 2: whether we follow their past and how different we are 180 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 2: in our choices. So let me ask that question. How 181 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 2: do you write about your mother without guilt? How do 182 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:06,440 Speaker 2: you write about your family and still be able to 183 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 2: talk to them later. 184 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 3: It's funny that you said that, because that was the 185 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 3: first question. What I thought was writing about your family 186 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 3: and having them talk to you. Yeah, it's a question 187 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 3: because I write both memoir and I write fiction, and 188 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 3: I write some like this book is sort of like 189 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 3: or to biographical fiction. And I always write from my 190 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 3: point of view based on things that have happened to 191 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 3: me or people I know of. Some are more true 192 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 3: than others, like the memoir that I wrote, which is 193 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 3: a Holocaust book. Certainly they were real people once in 194 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 3: my family, at least and I was very careful when 195 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 3: I spoke to them to make sure that they did 196 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 3: want to talk about what they wanted to talk about. 197 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 3: If they wanted their identity hidden, I agreed to it. 198 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 3: I never pushed anybody. And it's the same thing when 199 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 3: I'm writing other books, like even Did You Have the Life? 200 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 3: People think that you're writing about real people even when 201 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 3: you're not. You know, so I try my best to 202 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 3: disguise people, you know physically and their occupations and emotionally. 203 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 3: I'm more interested in not recreating the reality of my 204 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 3: fictional characters, but in some kind of a truth that 205 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 3: they represent. So far, nobody's been angry at me. I 206 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 3: don't know what they're saying behind my back, but I 207 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 3: try to show them dignity in respect, and usually the 208 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 3: characters become their own people. So they may have started 209 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 3: off similar to somebody, but by the time the book 210 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 3: is over, I'm sure they'll say, well, that never happened 211 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:42,559 Speaker 3: to me, you know. If it becomes very schizophrenic, I think. 212 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,959 Speaker 2: Someone has also wondered, I think is their own story 213 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 2: worth writing down? Is it worth sharing? And I'm sure 214 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 2: you've had that question before. What would you say? 215 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 3: I think it all depends on the writer. I mean, 216 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 3: what you want to do. Do you want to write 217 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 3: it because it's therapeutic for you, Do you want to 218 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 3: write it as a published piece, or do you just 219 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 3: want to share it. Whatever the motivation is, I say, 220 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 3: do it, go for it, you know, And whether you 221 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,439 Speaker 3: write a book or whether you have something published should 222 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 3: never be the main focus on it. You know. It 223 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,960 Speaker 3: should be that you want to say something, well, you 224 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 3: want to get something off your chest, or you want 225 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 3: to just record what happened to you and maybe you'll 226 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 3: use it later on in your life. But I do 227 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 3: believe that we all have some a life that's worth 228 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 3: writing about, and whether you've had traumatic experiences or not, 229 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 3: we all do. And it all depends on how you 230 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 3: express them. I mean, sometimes you write, you write a 231 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 3: book and it's nothing but two people writing a letter 232 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,200 Speaker 3: to each other, and you think, well, nothing happens here, 233 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 3: you know. And so I would say that I'm more 234 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 3: interested in character driven stories than I am about the plots. 235 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 3: And maybe that's not so good all the time, but 236 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 3: I feel like this plot in story. 237 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 2: Just to wrap up the takeaway from the book, I 238 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 2: wonder what kind of responses you've had from younger adults, 239 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 2: especially women of course, who were just starting their independence 240 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,560 Speaker 2: in their careers, versus older readers who might recognize so 241 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 2: much of the timeline and so much of the path 242 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:14,839 Speaker 2: that the characters go through. 243 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,559 Speaker 3: It's funny. I had a Zoom launch and I had 244 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,959 Speaker 3: this woman who was probably in her thirties, and she said, 245 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,440 Speaker 3: I really identified with your book, and I was so 246 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:29,079 Speaker 3: thrilled because you know, advice our agent lyes And she said, 247 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 3: I used to live in that area of Brooklyn. I 248 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 3: used to do this. I used to be in the 249 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 3: village all the time. And it was so interesting for 250 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 3: me to see what it was like in the nineteen 251 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 3: seventies and to see my reaction to it, and also 252 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 3: to see somebody who who didn't give up and went 253 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,840 Speaker 3: ahead and did what they wanted made me look closer 254 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 3: at the choices I was making. So that's the point 255 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 3: of view of younger readers so far, and the older 256 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,559 Speaker 3: readers of course identified having gone through a similar period 257 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 3: in my life life and the choices that they made. 258 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 3: And some are happy and some I'm not so happy, 259 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 3: and some don't want to really discuss it, or many 260 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 3: people just say, well I didn't have a chance to 261 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 3: really do what I wanted to do. Women, I would 262 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:16,760 Speaker 3: say more than men, and in their older age. I 263 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 3: think more women are doing fun things that they didn't 264 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:23,320 Speaker 3: think they could do. For that reason, maybe they feel 265 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 3: like this is a chance when they have that freedom. 266 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 2: The book is Did You Have The Life You Wanted? 267 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 2: By author Andreas Simon. Her website is Andreassimon dot net. 268 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 2: Congratulations on the book and thank you for being on 269 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 2: to get Connected. 270 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 3: Oh thank you so much. I enjoyed talking to you, 271 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 3: and good luck with your life and let me know 272 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 3: if you're going back to the Chelsea Hotel. 273 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 2: I will thank you so much. 274 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 3: Have a great day. 275 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 2: To take care, BOBBYE bye. 276 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,640 Speaker 1: This has been Get Connected with Nina del Rio on 277 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 1: one OO six point seven light Fm. The views and 278 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views 279 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 1: of the station. If you missed any part of our 280 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: show or want to share it, visit our website for 281 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: downloads and podcasts at one O six seven lightfm dot com. 282 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening.