My dad was born on September 20. He’s been gone for more than 26 years. I still think about him every day.
I think about him even more at times like this. I still wish I could talk to him again, even if only for five minutes.
He was a gambler who became a bookie. He’d have some strong to quite strong opinions about this thing I currently do. Any pride he’d feel would be balanced out by mortification. He always kept a low profile; obviously, I don’t.
I also wish he could read Father of Mine, a mob novel inspired by his outfit in my hometown. He’d like it, and he’d hate it. Same as Son of Mine.
He had thick reading glasses with black frames. I can picture him, peering through the lenses and taking in the words. He’d laugh at times, hopefully. At others, he’d slam the book shut and say, “You can’t write that!”
It’s too late for that. Both are written. Both are available. Both are entertaining, if you like tales of organized crime.
I’ll give away one of each this weekend, in honor of my old man. His original name, as family legend goes, was Armando. It became Herman. He was known as Butch. For me, he was simply Dad, or (once his grandchildren arrived) Pap.
If you want a free, signed, personalized copy of either book, send an email with your name, address, and preferred inscription to florio@profootballtalk.com. Use this subject line: “Father of Mine 9/20/24 Giveaway.” I’ll send Father of Mine to one winner, and Son of Mine to another.
And if you want to buy a signed, personalized copy, click here and follow the instructions. The first wave was dropped in the mail today. It was a pain in the butt, and I’ll reserve the right to end the promotion at any time and refund the payments through PayPail.
If you just want to read either book, Father of Mine can be had for only $3.99. Son of Mine is just $4.99. You’ll definitely like them, if you like that kind of thing.
