Books.
SHADOW AND SUBSTANCE: MY TIME WITH CHARLIE CHAPLIN
This novel began as a “what if…?”
What if a film enthusiast, huge fan of Chaplin, and wannabe screen writer in 2010 met Charlie Chaplin while working in Hollywood? What if this writer was hired to make a documentary that discredited Chaplin? What if he and Charlie spent time together in Hollywood - in the 1930’s and today?
Together they explore today’s and yesterday’s Hollywood, from the Brown Derby and Musso and Frank Grill, to Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Venice Beach. Familiar figures include Fatty Arbuckle, William Randolph Hearst, and Doug Fairbanks.
Praise for “Shadow and Substance”
Kevin Brownlow, Chaplin expert and winner of an Academy Award for film restoration and preservation, said of ‘Shadow and Substance’: “I was impressed by your book. I enjoyed it so much I made it last as long as possible. It was fascinating to read a fictitious version of an event one has been through oneself. You are a very good writer and your imagination caught me to such an extent that I began to feel as though I had just encountered Chaplin myself."
Dan Fenton of Bookscape says: “In this story within a story, Mandel doesn’t just explore the life of the legendary Charlie Chapin, but takes the bold step of placing him in the action, allowing Chaplin himself to answer to the controversies that continue to surround his extraordinary life. It is a dangerous literary device in the hands of an accomplished writer and Mandel is up to the task.”
(published 2010)
Available in paperback from me, and as a forthcoming e-book.
SELECTED WRITINGS
I’ve been writing for over sixty years.
My efforts have included short stories, essays, humor columns, memoir pieces, a smattering of poetry, choice blogs, a eulogy, and even a novelette.
“Selected Writings” is a 250-page book that contains some of my favorite efforts, stories that I feel deserve to be preserved in a “real” book. The subjects are as diverse as a P-51 airplane, a renegade chicken, a poodle conspiracy, Carl Reiner, an excerpt from my Charlie Chaplin novel, a complete novelette, and a Red Goose sign.
Praise for “Selected Writings”
“If you want a peek inside one of the most critical and humorous minds in this age and time, this is a treasure.”
— Harry Weber, internationally known sculptor and artist
“…writes with a wit, charm, and irony that walks with us through the outer layers of our sensibilities before it opens the door to the spirit of the human heart. An authentic voice.”
— Dennis Fleming, author
“…a compelling collection of prose, dynamic fiction, non-fiction, humorous tales, and diverse topics. Mandel notes the power in words, music, and song to hear, strengthen and awaken.”
— Linda O’Connell, writer, author, teacher
(published 2021)
ROADS, PATHS AND FORKS: THE JOURNEY OF BOBBY-LAMA
This is a book I didn’t want to write. Another novel was on my “to do” list.
Then I talked to Bob Roberman, who asked me to write his life story. But this one had a twist, an overriding urgency which pulled me in. Bob had ALS, had been diagnosed nine years previous and was, as he said, “time stamped.” I worked with Bob via Zoom (this was during Covid) for a year. I talked with his family and a few of his friends, I added my own observations and comments. On December 28th, 2021, Bob and I agreed the book was finished. As Bob said, “No more changes, The office is now closed.” The next step was to get it printed.
Bob died one week later. He never got to hold this book in his hand. But he loved it, as I do. It tells the story of this most unusual and uplifting man who believed, even as time was running out, that today and every day was his “Best Day Ever.” His life can best be described as that of a man who followed “Roads, Paths and Forks” that took him to unforeseen destinations and significant accomplishments, for himself and for the many people he influenced.
(published 2022)
THE NEGRO IN THE BASEMENT
This novelette is an homage to Nola Theus Cox, the woman who helped raise my brother and me.
Joel Banashek is in grade school when his parents hire a Black woman to be a maid, cook, baby sitter. Her name is “Nola”. The year is 1950. She has a room in the basement, and has one day off each week. The story explores the relationship between Joel and Nola, during a time when Jim Crow was a harsh reality for Black people in this country, having to live in a system designed to keep them second-class citizens. Even the movie houses were off limits. Joel, a middle-class Jewish boy, thinks nothing of it. “That’s the way it is,” he believes. As do so many families of that time. Eventually, however, Joel must face the awkwardness of the situation and the way it shapes his life and an eventual decision he must make.
(published 2012)