Overview

A FLEA GROWS IN BROOKLYN Michael Greenberg was born in 1945 into a working class family in Brooklyn. He grew up during a period of radical change in our country. The story begins in the naive Fifties: It was the Fifties. Everyone liked Ike. The Dodgers played in Brooklyn. There was an Iron Curtain and a cold war (which was much healthier than a hot one). The music that I listened to was the Platters, Johnny Mathis, Buddy Holly, and Elvis. My dad, Sam, was a big muscular man... He was a construction worker (a member of the carpenters' union actually) by trade. We owned one car, a Plymouth Belvedere, and gas at the Esso gas station on Neptune Avenue in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York, where I lived was 25 cents a gallon. We are introduced to Michael's family: His macho father; traditional stay at home mom; and two younger siblings. The story describes Michael's life in Coney Island in the Fifties. He learns to love sports and work hard in school. Michael also learns to fight. His father would never accept the fact that his physically undersized son was beaten up by bigger or older boys. Michael was often forced to fight the victors again or be beaten by his father. Suddenly, the story shifts. Michael's family moves to Miami Beach, Florida. We do not see the South Beach of today, but rather a segregated South Beach populated mostly by poor Jewish families that had emigrated from the Northeast. In Miami Beach, Michael becomes a lonely soul searching for a place to belong. He works long hours to help support his family and he goes to school. During his three years in Miami Beach, Michael questions organized religion; has his first sexual experiences; and learns to survive in a sometimes hostile world. His accomplishments in school and sports would never be good enough to satisfy his father. Michael meets girls from the wealthier side of town. They make him feel inferior and at times, rejected. He excels at baseball, where he plays with many Cuban boys whose families fled Castro and Communism. After three years, Michael feels that he is being accepted. As this occurs, his family announces another move. This time he moves to a different section of Brooklyn. Michael does not want to go, but has no options. In Brooklyn, Michael is alone again. He must prove that he can defend himself. He plays sports in an integrated environment. Still, he manages to excel at baseball. Michael reluctantly agrees to go to a high school dance, where he meets a special girl. While he likes the girl, he is amazed by how her family interacts. Michael observes how a loving family behaves. Next, Michael commutes to a city college. We see the radical Sixties unfold through his eyes. While he tries to stay in his small cocoon, the world around him rages out of control. He reacts to the death of John Kennedy; the race riots in the streets; and the nightly lists of poor boys being killed in some place called Viet Nam. After graduation and marrying his high school sweetheart, Michael is drafted into the military. He is alone again. His unit is primarily Black and he is the sole college graduate. They refer to him as college boy. He is sent to Viet Nam and wounded severely. Michael must fight to recover his physical and emotional health. When he returns home, Michael is a changed man who is focused on success.

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9781432752835

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