Yorktown Author Finally Fulfills Goal with Witty Book
Yorktown resident and first-time author Larry Berliner has a unique approach in trying to convince people to read his book You Can’t Be Serious: An Inner-City Teacher A-Muses About School and Life.
“This book is not that good. I’m not saying my book sucks. It’s entertaining, amusing, and sporadically thought-provoking. You might even call it a fun-filled page-turner. But it’s not that good,” Berliner penned in a message to readers right after the table of contents in his 195-page creation, which concludes with a medical-type sketch of his appendix.
That’s the type of humor readers can expect in the book, which took the retired Bronx middle school teacher and 44-year Yorktown resident more than 10 years to piece together.
“It shouldn’t have taken that long,” Berliner conceded. “If writing a book is going to consume more than 10 years of your life, it should be mentioned with War and Peace, Gone With the Wind, or anything by Shakespeare. So why did it take me so long to tell my stories? Let’s just say life got in the way—along with the author’s procrastination and a stubborn insistence on rewriting until satisfied.”
“It was always my dream to write the Great American Novel. When I retired (in 2001) it seemed like it was time to put together all these ideas I had accumulated over the years,” he explained. “I wrote a few chapters and I asked Sue (his wife of 50 years and author of four novels) her honest opinion. She said you’re supposed to be interested in the main character and I’m not. Upon rereading, I realized I too didn’t much care about my main character, his point of view, or where the story seemed to be going.”
As a result, Berliner, with a suggestion from his trusted wife, decided, with some trepidations, to change course and “try to modify my dream” by writing a book about his personal stories and funny anecdotes.
“I knew this was a good idea, but going from the Great American Novel to some goofy stories, my heart just wasn’t it. I also wondered now my sense of humor would translate to the written page,” he said. “I wanted to write something I could be proud of; something to leave behind, something that said, ‘Larry was here.’”
Berliner said the turning point came after he took a comedy-writing course at Westchester Community College with his son and the instructor, Rich Mintzer, gave him some constructive criticism.
“He said my story was too literal. He said while the best comedy comes from life experiences, I could take some liberties and exaggerate a little bit,” Berliner said. “It kind of gave me a freedom I didn’t have before. Although the best parts of the book are really true.”
While still struggling to make the book perfect in his mind, Berliner said he had a “Fonzie moment,” in reference to the iconic Happy Days character, where one day he woke up, looked at the book, and said, Ayyy,” meaning it was as good as it was going to get.
“I did it. I got a book out,” Berliner said proudly. “I wrote the book for me, but people seem to like it, and that’s exciting to me. It makes me feel good that people really enjoy it. I know life is difficult, but it is funny at times. There is laughter all around.”
One satisfied reader, C. Bernis of Shenorock, wrote of Berliner’s book, “A splendid discovery! A truly special book. Mr. Berliner dives into and delicately handles the hilarity, gravity and importance of teaching and shaping young minds with a wonderful perspective and glorious wit.”
Another reviewer, LGA of Ossining, wrote, “Hysterical, laugh-out-loud and well-written. Caution: Be ready to laugh so hard you will spritz yourself while drinking a beverage. I did! Be prepared. Have tissues close by. I laughed so long and so hard I started to cry. From the dedication to the appendix this book is a winner.”
The book was published last month by Berliner’s wife’s publishing company SRB Books and is available for $10.95 On Demand through Amazon or Barnes & Noble and through a link on Sue Berliner’s website www.susanberliner.com.
To meet Larry and Sue Berliner in person, they will appear together on Saturday, December 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Jefferson Valley Mall.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/