York House Press

The Apple

YHP — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:53:27 +0000

Called by Oprah “The greatest love story ever told,” The Apple is a novel based on Herman Rosenblat’s story of a girl who tossed him apples over the fence when he was a boy in a Nazi concentration camp. The book also recounts the story behind the story: what happened when Herman Rosenblat’s memoir was found to be embellished? Why did Mr. Rosenblat fabricate aspects of his story? And what perils await a Holocaust survivor who does such a thing?

Thanks to all who entered October’s giveaway at theapplenovel.com

And look for Singing God’s Work: the Inspirational Music, People and Stories of the Harlem Gospel Choir, by Allen Bailey. On sale, October.

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Publisher’s Statement Regarding Herman Rosenblat

YHP — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:32:03 +0000

An author or storyteller is certainly entitled to compose his narrative as he sees fit, combining fact, fiction and fantasy to achieve the purpose of his story. But an author is also obliged to represent his work accurately, disclosing what is fact and what indeed is fiction, part fiction or imagination remembered as reality. As important as an author’s work is his honesty, integrity and ethical conduct upon which his work stands.

After reading Mr. Rosenblat’s now abandoned work, Angel at The Fence, we are saddened that Mr. Rosenblat chose to add a number of small, but pivotal embellishments, and in so doing effectively discredited what is otherwise a credible, heart-wrenching and no doubt verifiable account of his time as boy in the death camps of Germany and the horrors he experienced there. The loss is all the more distressing, because as the remaining number of Holocaust surivivors dwindle, is is important to capture their unimpeachable accounts in the public record. We sympathize with the frustrations of Mr. Rosenblat’s partners, publishers and associates who accepted on good faith his work as an unembelished memoir. We understand the dismay of Holocaust Historians who work tirelessly to assert the facts of the Holocaust and ensure the integrity of survivor accounts as a way to counter antesemites and Holocaust deniers of which there are still far too many.

Mr. Rosenblat seemingly fanatasized that his wife of 50 years came as a girl to nourish him by tossing apples to him over the barbed wire at Buchenwald’s subcamp, Schlibien. He told this fiction to himself and to others and integrated it seamlessly into his otherwise factual account. It is beyond our expertise to know how Holocaust surviviors cope with their trauma. Do they deny, try to forget, sugar coat, rationalize or fantasize fiction along with truth? Perhaps the coping mechanisms are as individual as the survivors themselves.

As the events of the Holocaust recede into history, authors, artists, historians, commentators and the world community are responsible for deciding upon the right and proper ways to memorialize these grave events, to integrate them into art, into culture and into the collective consciousness. It is an important conversation and one we hope this conroversy will stimulate. We also hope that those who enter the discourse do so with humility, openeness, tolerance and respect.

No untruth is permissable, especially one that has far-reaching and serious consequences. But beneath every lie is motivation and intent. We believe Mr. Rosenblat’s motivations and mistakes were very human and forgivable.

Oh Happy Day, The Harlem Gospel Choir Comes to YHP

YHP — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:09:19 +0000

Soon to publish his account of founding and managing the Harlem Gospel Choir, Allen Bailey, pictured here with Bono, has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 40 years, beginning as a promotional director and advance man for film stars and recording artists, such as Lionel Richie & The Commodores, Michael Jackson, Prince and Isaac Hayes. Don King appointed Bailey entertainment coordinator for Rumble in The Jungle, the heavy-weight championship match between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman in Zaire. With extensive experience combining talent management, theatrical production and fundraising, Allen assisted in production of 1985’s We Are The World and USA for Africa in 1986. It was during his work as Chairman for The Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Campaign in 1986 that his idea to form The Harlem Gospel Choir was born. Always active in Harlem, he coordinated the concert for Nelson Mandela in Yankee Stadium and codirected The Harlem Jazz Festival. He now spends most of his time touring with The Harlem Gospel Choir.

Is U.S. Business Overregulated? Dr. James S. Sagner

YHP — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:42:16 +0000

Ask Jim Sagner which candidate in the presidential primary knew the most about economics, world trade, business regulation and its crippling effect on America’s economic health and he’ll tell you that none of the candidates really seemed to know enough. A clear sign, perhaps, that they, like most Americans, could use a lesson on the effects of overregulation provided in his book: Is U.S. Business Overregulated? How Government Destroys Our Abiity to Compete Globally.

American business, Dr. Sagner writes, now faces a worldwide economic crisis. After decades of losing marketshare to overseas competitors, American companies are no longer able to compete effectively in the global marketplace, due in large part, to outdated and unrealistic U.S. regulations. Is there a practical answer to the deepening problem? In Is U.S. Business Overregulated? Jim Sagner says there is: get rid of laws that stay on the books long after they are needed and cripple America’s prospects. Many of these draconian regulations merely hamstringing the good guys, even as the white-collar criminals simpyly find new loopholes to crawl through.
About the Author
Dr. James Sagner is an internationally recognized expert in financial management and economic analysis. He has taught undergraduate and MBA management, finance and statistics, is a frequent speaker at seminars and meeting throughout the country on bank and cash management topics, has chaired numerous finance-related conferences internationally and is a Rockefeller Fellow. He is also a best-selling business author of five key business finance books and more than 50 papers and articles.

Want to get smart about where America’s jobs, money and future is going? Read Dr. Sagner’s blog www.sagner.wordpress.com

A Financial One-A-Day: Bob Hardcastle’s Money Minutes

YHP — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:29:47 +0000

The economy is still heading south and former big spenders are getting jittery. Too much financial play and not enough financial planning makes Jack and Jill come tumbling, like the Dow Jones, down the hill. For those too stressed to wade through hefty chapters on asset management, Money Minutes will do the trick. Bite-size nuggets on how to make and grow your money make this little book the equivalent of a financial one-a-day. Money Minutes is a simple and practical guide, offering the reader quick one-page informative answers to hundreds of the most pressing personal finance money and retirement questions confronting everyone. The author, Bob Hardcastle, distills the most pressing worries that he has heard over and over again during his 40 years of broadcasting personal money and financial advice on the radio, television, and in his financial planning practice into short, valuable and practical nuggets that any reader can easily put to immediate use.

About the Author

Bob Hardcastle ranks int the top 100 of registered investment advisors and for over 40 years has been helping investors and businesses quickly and simply solve their money concerns. Bob has been dispensing guidance via his consulting, books, newspaper columns, radio and TV segments. He is the longest running boradcaster of financial advice in the U.S. He’s a very busy guy, which is why Tony Vlamis, a writer, author, and former Wall Streeter with over 30 years in business and professional publishing pitched in to help write the book.