The Long Way Home
An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War
David Laskin

Book Tour: The Movie

Monday, April 19th, 2010

I’ve always loved the way Hollywood portrays writers – the knit brow wreathed in a cloud of cigarette smoke as the Opus lies mired in writer’s block; the Breakthrough arriving in a smoky burst of creativity; the pages flying out of a big black ash-sprinkled typewriter; the meteoric rise to fame, fortune, and smoldering co-stars.  Just another glorious tour of duty in the literary trenches.

So far as I know, Hollywood has yet to tackle Book Tour:  The Movie.  But you can just picture it.  Opening shot:  a packed auditorium full of chanting stomping readers.  A hush descends as the venerable, bespectacled, ever-so-slightly balding author (Ralph Fiennes?) takes the stage.  Zoom in on the lined but still surprisingly attractive face, the hands trembling just discernibly as they grip the side of the lectern, a glint of light reflected off the chic Italian spectacles.  Wide shot of the rapturous, mostly young female audience (Natalie Portman in front row?) staring dewy-eyed as The Talk commences:

We live not only in a nation of immigrants…but a nation of poor immigrants…

Cut to the Statue of Liberty…Ellis Island… vaguely klezmery music swells…A still of immigrants packed in steerage dissolves to a wide shot of an endless line of leggy young readers clambering to have their copies inscribed, their questions answered, their demands met.  “I know it sounds crazy,” Natalie pants, “but I just had to buy 10 copies.”  “Where on earth do you get your ideas – and such big, complicated ideas?” “I’ve never read anything like this – when’s the next one?”

The reality, I can report after legs one and two of my own book tour (hence the long silence of the blog), is a little different.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m incredibly grateful that my publisher has sent me on a book tour at all.  We writers live cloistered lives and it’s always enlivening to get out there in the real world and meet the reading public.  It’s also, frankly, a tad humbling.  The first leg of my tour took me to New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago – and I’ll confess I felt a bit like a kid with his nose pressed to the window of the candy store.  Or rather the Apple-Disney-Nike store.  To the extent I felt any cultural pulse throbbing in the veins of our big cities it was pumped out not by words between covers but by images and characters shimmering on little screens.  Even the bookstores, if you can find one, seem to be more about wifi, coffee and ephemera than the printed and bound page.

Which is not to say that book lovers are history.  I met scads of people who are passionate about books everywhere I went.  On my first night on the road, the Affatato family (descendants of Epifanio Affatato, one of the twelve men in my book) filled their Long Island house to overflowing with relatives and friends eager to hear about the service of a great Italian American.

Epifanio Affatato, decorated Italian-American hero of the Great War

The official launch at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum was every author’s dream come true – standing room only crowd; evocative surroundings; great questions; and great company for my book in the museum’s wonderful little book and gift shop.  The Army and Navy Club in downtown Washington, D.C., was one of the most beautiful and august places I’ve ever lectured in, and I was pleased to see three soldiers on active duty in the audience.  Warm welcome at the Polish Museum of America; fascinating post-talk tour of the National Museum of American Jewish Military History.

The Author meeting and greeting at the Army and Navy Club

Yes, my book tour was brought to you by a massive Apple-Disney-Nike style corporation.  But the people who attended the events were part of a community – or rather many overlapping communities.  History buffs, sons and daughters of Italy or Poland, proud descendants of Jewish plumbers-turned-soldiers who still feel a connection to their heritage and want to see it preserved and carried forward.  It’s fitting that a book about twelve ordinary guys who got caught up in the cataclysm of the Great War should be promoted one community, one circle of readers, one family at a time.  And that the venues were museums, libraries, private clubs, social halls, family living rooms, and of course the handful of beloved, heroic independent bookstores that miraculously still survive – Elliott Bay Books, University Bookstore, and Third Place Books here in Seattle; Rainy Day Books in Kansas City; the Bookworm in Omaha; Port Books &  News in Port Angeles, Washington.

If I were making a movie of my tour, I’d open in the big drab hall of the Rocky Point, Long Island, Sons of Italy chapter.  A handful of tables of mostly elderly Italian-Americans, some speaking Italian, gathered for a relaxing night of cards and pizza.  The grizzled author sidles in, hands trembling, with his laptop and speech.  Suspicious stares, mutters of Who the hell is this guy? Close up of now sweating author launching into his talk:

We live not only in a nation of immigrants, but a nation of poor immigrants…

Cut to author shaking hands with stout gray-haired Italian gent.  “You know, your talk was actually kinda interesting,” the gent remarks as he pumps and pumps author’s hand. “Reminded me of something I haven’t thought of in years.  My uncle Nick – he served with the 77th Division.  Was gassed and everything….We’ve got his discharge papers somewhere. And hey, thanks for writing your book.”

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Comments

  1. Len E  |  April 19th, 2010

    Wish so much that I could have been present at one of your presentations. Your book calls for a sequel now that more people realize that their grandfather, uncle, second cousin fit the bill.

  2. Len E  |  April 19th, 2010

    Wish so much that I could have been present at one of your presentations. Your book calls for a sequel now that more people realize that their grandfather, uncle, or second cousin qualifies for inclusion.

  3. Jon Affatato  |  April 19th, 2010

    David,
    Actually, I was thinking George Clooney to play “the writer”, but I guess good ol’ Ralph would be a nice choice, as well. Nice post.
    Once again, we were happy to fill the house to overflowing for you (and btw… many people were there not just to hear about Epifanio, but to meet a real live author, too!). Next time, we’ll schedule the Sons of Italy talk on a day other than Pizza Day ; – )

  4. Suzie  |  April 19th, 2010

    Come to North Hollywood and we’ll show you how it’s done!!!!

  5. Andrew Himes  |  April 19th, 2010

    David, I love your idea for a book tour movie. I will plan to attend on Wednesday at 3rd Place!

  6. michael affatato  |  April 20th, 2010

    Love it! I knew that SOI experience would have some eventual value! ;-)

  7. Mary Whisner  |  May 2nd, 2010

    If you haven’t seen Crossing Delancey. I’m afraid the sexy author who does the reading is a bit of a jerk, though.

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