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From The June Cover From The June Cover

Happy Birthday, Empire State Boomer Times Book of the Month

Building! The New York Symbol Of & Senior Life Review
Optimism And Resilience Turns 90 THE APPLE AND THE SHADY TREE...

The Mafia, My Family And Me

Author: Lisa Novick Goldberg — Reviewed by Anita Finley, Gerontologist
Other than watching TV shows Others are short but important to
and movies, I didn’t know much keep the onion peeling. Many of
about the Mafia, so this book ex- the chapter titles explained what
plained on a personal note, who, the book reveals: The Murder: The
what and why they were such Beginning of the End; Family Time
a force. This autobiography is at Its Best and Worst; I Have a
unusual since it was written by Sister; Life in Suburbia: The Early
the daughter of a man that was Years; Those Wacky 1970s; Col-
very involved with the Mafia in lege Years; Las Vegas; The Early
New York’s most iconic skyscraper, the Empire State Building, turned New York, from the time she was 1980s; The Record Industry; The
90 this year on May 1, and it’s as relevant as ever. a young child, until she was an Garment Center; Atlantic City;
There are bigger buildings. There are gaudier, more astounding adult. Her descriptions of her A Husband for Me; Maggie, My
ones. But on the occasion of its 90 birthday—May 1—let be said for father, Herbert (Johnny) Novick, Daughter; It All Came Tumbling
th
all time: there is only one Empire State Building. her mother, Janet Matlick, her Down; Closure; I Might Be Having
“It’s a beloved structure,” said Lilly Tuttle, curator of the Museum sister and other family A Nervouse Breakdown.
Each segment dealt
members were real and
of the City of New York. powerful. What a life she with that time and space
“Every major city in the world has its symbol, whether its the Eiffel had! of her life with clear and
Tower or the London ‘Big Ben’ clock tower, or the Hollywood sign,” Reading her book, The lucid descriptions of
Tuttle said. “In New York, it’s the Empire State Building. Absolutely.” Apple and the Shady the good, the bad and
To read this entire article, go to BoomerTimesFL.com. Tree, was so interest- the questions she nev-
ing and well researched er received answers to
From The June Cover that I felt I was living from her family, mostly
with her, while she was
her father, who was her
going through the sce- hero in many ways. He
It’s Baseball Season narios and complexities adored her and wanted
And Joe DiMaggio Is Still An Icon of being the daughter of this mal- to protect her as best as he could,
functioning family. It took its toll, but as he grew older, he needed
as she has spent many years in her assistance with his many en-
Joseph Paul DiMaggio therapy, working through the trau- terprises, many dangerous at that
(November 25, 1914 – March matic years of confusion, dishon- time. She dedicated her book to
8, 1999), nicknamed “Joltin’ esty, neglected love from her par- him saying, “To my father, whose
Joe” and “The Yankee ents, a disastrous marriage, being life lessons, both good and bad,
Clipper,” was an American a mother and, in general, living a taught with intention or otherwise,
baseball center fielder who nightmare of sorts, yet enjoying made me strong.”
played his entire 13-year the financial rewards and luxury The happy ending is that Lisa
career in Major League surrounding her. finally found the family she had
Baseball for the New York Lisa Novick’s mother, Janet always hoped for. The man of her
Yankees. Born to Sicilian Matlick, was described as beau- dreams as she described at the
Italian immigrants in Califor- tiful, but had mental problems end of her book: ...“I married in
nia, he is widely considered which got worse as she aged. 2012 Stanford Blake, who is a cel-
one of the greatest baseball She wasn’t the kind of mother ebrated retired circuit court judge
players of all time, and had a Lisa wanted, so for those of us who served on the bench in Miami
56-game hitting streak (May 15 – July 16, 1941), a record that still stands. who loved our mothers and they for twenty-two years, sixteen of
loved us, this was a tragedy.
which were spent on the criminal
DiMaggio was a three-time Most Valuable Player Award winner and an The author is an excellent writ- bench. My father would have loved
All-Star in each of his 13 seasons. During his tenure with the Yankees, er, describing her life in chapters. him.”
the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series Some are long and ofen intimate.
championships. His nine career World Series rings is second only to
fellow Yankee Yogi Berra, who won ten. About the author:
At the time of his retirement after the 1951 season, he ranked fifth Lisa Novick Goldberg was born in Brooklyn and
in career home runs (361) and sixth in career slugging percentage grew up in the Five Towns on Long Island. She has
(.579). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955 and a bachelor’s degree from Vassar and a master’s
was voted the sport’s greatest living player in a poll taken during degree from Columbia in International Affairs.
baseball’s centennial year of 1969. His brothers Vince (1912–1986) and She lives with her husband in Coconut Grove,
Dom (1917–2009) also were major league center fielders. DiMaggio is Florida. This is her first book.
widely known for his marriage and lifelong devotion to Marilyn Monroe.
— (From Wikepedia) (Purchase THE APPLE AND THE SHADY TREE on Amazon.com.)
JUNE 2021 BoomerTimesFL.com BoomerTimes & SeniorLife / 5