Sixty Slices of Life... on Wry (The Private Life of a Public Broadcaster) is a tongue-in-cheek memoir, proceeding chronologically from what the author learned about life from his dog when he was eight, to when he learned that he was an old man in the Paris Metro at age sixty-eight. In between there are, of course, his humorous, behind-the-scenes adventures in public radio, television, and journalism, where he once won a very serious national award for his chuckle-filled newspaper columns. Some of these "slices" were previously published in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and other major metropolitan newspapers. Others were written especially for this book.
This book is full of impractical advice on such subjects as:
- what you can learn about life from your dog,
- how to get your child to listen to classical music,
- a unique way to support your local public radio station,
- how to handle door-to-door solicitors,
- how to cure the “teen disease,”
- whether or not to purchase a potbellied pig,
- how to speed to success,
- how to exorcise your evil cholesterol spirits,
- and—most important of all—a better way to make babies!
In Praise of Sixty Slices of Life ... on Wry
“Sixty Slices is a feast of tasty morsels. Flaxman has the ability to see humor and the absurd even in the most mundane experiences. It is a warmhearted, often nostalgic, potpourri. You don’t have to be Jewish to like Flaxman’s wry.”
John Friedman, author of Out of the Blue: A History of Lightning: Science, Superstition, and Amazing Stories of Survival and Oscar-winning producer of the documentary Hotel Terminus
“Sixty Slices of Life … on Wry is at once moving, funny, and true. Fred Flaxman has proved himself a master at intertwining his life’s experiences with tenderness, love, and laugh-out-loud humor. I was filled with warm fuzzies and did not want these beautiful stories to end.”
Bahia Abrams, author of The Other Half of My Soul
“You will make a ‘Compact Discovery’ of your own when you read Fred Flaxman’s lifetime of amusing experiences and enjoy his wry sense of humor. This book is a quick and most enjoyable read that gives perspective to all our lives with a quirky insight into every-day living. Read, relax and enjoy!”
Don Quayle, founding president, National Public Radio
“Under the irrepressible humor is a study in resilience, a recipe for success, and a delightful life story beginning with Buster, a dog who taught Fred the value in being completely and utterly himself.”
Jerri Strozier, Life Stories, Inc.
“Fred Flaxman offers up his recipe for Sixty Slices of Life ... on Wry: half wit and one or two grains of wisdom. Makes a good midnight snack.”
Cal Thomas, public TV executive
“Sixty Slices of Life ... on Wry mirrors the creative personality of Fred Flaxman, a character comfortable with his ethnic roots and secure enough in his beliefs to poke honest but gentle humor at himself while living his convictions. A delightful read where I identified with his reflections on many of life’s profound questions.”
Sara Margaret Mitchell Rhodes, author, A Slender Volume of Poems, Essays and Short Stories
“Fred Flaxman is a talented humorist, and this is an enjoyable and readable book.”
Cleve Mathews, founding news director of National Public Radio
“Evrything I lerned about humer, I lerned from Fred Flaxman.”
Peter Bradley, Unemployed Proofreeder
