The title of my new book, “Works in Progress,” emphasizes my position that nothing is final for me: I am always open to rethinking my conclusions (if any), and my stories are just one tiny strand in the vast tapestry of human history and thinking.
I have a bad habit of publishing and unpublishing books, and right now (March 12, 2016), the status of the book is–Available as a PDF from this website. Anyway, here is the new Table of Contents:
| Preface | 1 |
| The Western Beggar | 3 |
| Preface to Fatherhood | 11 |
| Fatherhood, Chapter One | 13 |
| Fatherhood, Chapter Two | 15 |
| Fatherhood, Chapter Three | 21 |
| Fatherhood, Chapter Four | 25 |
| Fatherhood, Chapter Five | 32 |
| Fatherhood, Chapter Six | 38 |
| Fatherhood, Chapter Seven | 43 |
| Father, Interrupted | 46 |
| To Kurt Vonnegut, June 1998 | 60 |
| Preface to Long Essay on “Memory” | 63 |
| Memory | 65 |
| Lord Bush of Iraq | 84 |
| Are You Famous? Should I Know You? | 101 |
| Do You Want Fries With That? | 105 |
| My Introduction to Love | 108 |
| About the Author | 127 |
With writings that require a lot of courage to write as well as publish, I tend to procrastinate, making excuses for why a book is not “ready.” And often, such a book may not be “ready” for years … and by the time it is “ready”, it is no more as powerful, as urgent as when I wrote it. And that is an excuse to postpone it further. A portion of this book has been postponed for nearly 15 years!
By publishing Works in Progress, I acknowledge my limitations, of time and life, and bring to my readers’ notice a book that, until recently, I had hidden or spoken little about. Though the publication date of this book was October 3, 2015, it had been put together in a rush, and needed a few changes and corrections, including a more contemplative cover.
Delighted, now, to announce that Works in Progress is almost as good as I want it to be, and contains some of my most powerful material. Though the 50-page story that occupies much of the middle is somber and passionate, there is also humor, satire, and public interest material packed into other parts of this 127-page book. It may look like a small book, but it is loaded with emotion, insight, and at times, humor. The “works in progress” title is very relevant, because many of these essays end without firm, definite conclusions. My mind is still open, and I could see the situation differently on another day: but for now, this is what I think, and this is where each part tentatively ends.
The book includes a few parts that have appeared or are in e-book form. Such as “Lord Bush of Iraq”, a satire/musical with a list of songs:
LIST OF SONGS
Who’s That a-Bombing? Dubya the Jolly Nuker! . .Donald Ducksfeld, War Secretary
I Left My Heart (and Liver) in San Baghdadisco . . An American Soldier
We Could Have Bombed All Night . . . . . . . The B-52s
Salaam, All Ye Coons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Western Colonialist Dance Troupe
Oh, Give ‘Em My New World Order, Bang Bang Bang, Har Har Har!
. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. G. H. W. Busholini, Esq.
When B-52 Eggs Are A-Dropping, I’ll Explode With Love For You! . . . .S. Hussein
Knock Knock Knocking on Heaven’s Door . . . . . . . The One Million Dead Iraqi Childrens’ Chorus
I know that some readers simply refuse to read e-books, or to read them unless there is a compelling, life-and-death need. I understand them. As I work at a laptop all day long until my eyes refuse to cooperate, I too want to do my reading not on a screen, but on paper! Yet, for now (March 12, 2016), this book is available only as a pdf at this website.