What a trip . . .

Went back to google and guess what, pages and pages of articles on Lampell but no one apparently reviewed his novel. Now I get to go the library and check out the one reference I found to an article in Cosmopolitan.

The Hero

When I googled Millard Lampell, I discovered that he had died in 1997 and was much remembered for his early song writing and protest work with Pete Seeger and a group called the Weavers. I remember them well from the days when the only link I had with what was really happening in the world of the early 1960's was an am radio that broadcast a folk music show every Saturday morning. The Weavers, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, the Kingston trio, and others formed the basis in song for what for many of us became the anti-war and Peace and Freedom movement. But I digress.

At the time I was busy listening to this music and the humor of Mort Sahl and Shelley Berman and Lenny Bruce, I had no idea the author of my favorite book was a part of it all. Possibly, this was because he was black-listed in the 50's for his refusal to name names in the red scare era.

The Hero

I won't say this is the first book I ever owned but it is the oldest one I still have out on loan. The Hero by Millard Lampell is a great sports story. And as I see as I begin rereading it for the umpteenth time in my life just as accurate now as it was so surprisingly to me then.

Some thoughts ...

I love history romanticised. I wish I could go back to when I read The Burnished Blade the first time and relive it. Like most readers, I guess I hid out by reading. I know I would hide my book behind my textbook. One time my algebra teacher caught me and I still remember the bark of his voice as he yelled out my name. Luckily for me, he was also my line coach for football so when I repeatedly scored barely passing on my tests he gave me a little extra credit so that I could stay eligible. It wasn't that I didn't like algebra it just wasn't history. Or very romantic.