At 79, Philip M. Fishman has a dual role
since his wife's stroke ten years ago.
The main one is as a caregiver; but when he is not busy with her, he is
a writer.
He loves to blog on Face Book; but he has
also self-published four books. The
first was a memoir of a brief teaching career after retirement, titled, Teacher's
Gotta Dance. The second was a
rebuttal to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. His title is A Really Inconvenient Truth-
The Case Against the Theory of Anthropogenic Global Warming. For that book, he relied on his
scientific background as well as a lot of research. His third was a near future political novel,
titled, Secession- A Republic Reborn.
Several sub-plots include the subject of his previous book as well
as some innovative approaches to dealing with Islamic terrorism, our drug
problem, immigration, and tax reform.
His latest is his most controversial of all, titled, Aren't the
Emperor's New Clothes Grand. It's
a
satirical critique of our President and is
a take-off of Hans Cristian Andersen's fable, The Emperor's New
Clothes. The reference is to Trump's
cult-like following, which seemingly ignores all his lies and broken
promises. Fishman gives an iron-clad
guarantee that if you like Trump; you will hate his book.
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Thanks for this interview, Phil. Can we begin by having you tell us about
yourself from a writer’s standpoint?
Certainly.
Probably, most of the authors on your page have been at it a long time;
but I'm a late bloomer. After a long
successful career in sales and marketing, I first tried consulting; but that
was not very fulfilling (or rewarding).
I was sixty-five at the time; when our daughter suggested I try
teaching. At first, I thought I was too
old; but I thought I would give it a go.
I decided to get my feet wet first before jumping in and began
substitute teaching high school chemistry and math, since my degree was in
chemistry. As I got more comfortable, I
started subbing in German and then in various other subjects. The one subject I refused to substitute for
was physical science after a disastrous session, which I discuss in my first
book, Teacher's Gotta Dance, a memoir of my brief teaching career. Otherwise, I had no problems and was
really enjoying myself. At that point, I
was ready to get serious and enrolled at UAB Birmingham for graduate work in
the School of Education. At the age of
sixty-six, I was old enough to be grandfather to most of my classmates, and
father to my professors. Nevertheless, I
felt comfortable and did very well in class work. Eight months later, with 21 credit hours, I
was ready to take the plunge and become an actual teacher. In Alabama, under The No Child Left Behind
Act, an individual with an undergraduate degree who was enrolled in an
education graduate program could begin teaching (provided, of course, that the
person would be hired). I was soon to
learn that last part was easier said than done.
I began taking interviews for teaching high school chemistry in early August; but despite my educational
background, all A's in my graduate studies, and what I thought were excellent
interviews, I was batting zero. Two or
three days after interviews, I would call to find out if a decision had been
made; and the responses were so similar that they could be the lyrics of a sad
song that I could sing by heart. “Sir, I
am sorry, but that opening has already been filled. However, with your resume, you should have no
problem in finding a suitable position.”
By this time, it was late August,
and most of the schools were into their second week. I was frustrated and angry, and ready to give
it all up; but in one final act of desperation; I called my advisor who was
also the professor of the first course I had taken, “Teaching Methods”. We were at lunch when I asked him, “Why
didn't you or someone tell me that no one would hire someone as old as
me?' He told me that my search had been
too narrow; that I needed to consider middle school science and math. I was sure it was too late; but I made a few
inquiries at nearby middle schools. Lo and behold, one day later, I got a call
from a principal asking me if I could come in for an interview the next
morning. The rest of the story is in the
book, I alluded to above, after my wife's stroke. Since then, I have written and self-published
three more. First, was a rebuttal to Al
Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. My
title is A Really Inconvenient Truth- The Case Against the Theory of
Anthropogenic Global Warming. My
next, which is my favorite, is a near future political novel, titled, Secession-
A Republic Reborn. My latest is a satirical critique of our
President. I am hoping he sees a copy,
since I think he would give me more publicity than I could buy..
When not writing, what do you like to do
for relaxation and/or fun?
My
wife and I are huge Auburn fans; so from September to early January we are
watching college football. Until my
wife's stroke ten years ago, we were big travelers. Now, we stay pretty close to home. She watches TV in the daytime; At night, my
TV fare is mostly politics unless a good old movie is on. Fortunately, our daughter and so-in-law live
close; so we are frequently over there.
Congratulations on your new book! Can you
give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?
Introduction
In Hans Christian Andersen's tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, two
unscrupulous tailors appeal to the emperor's vanity by offering to make him a
suit of clothes that would be woven of such fine fiber that it would be
invisible to all those who were unworthy of seeing it. (And, I guess so light in weight that the
wearer would not be able to feel it.) When the proud emperor paraded out in his birthday suit; his
subjects exclaimed how grand the emperor's new clothes were. All except a young child who stated the
obvious.
The tone of the story suggests that the people were not deceived; but
only went along with the ruse. What is
notclear is if Trump's followers are likewise undeceived at his
obvious equivocating, and are consciously
apologizing for him; or if they have
somehow succumbed to a type of mass hypnosis.
It may be akin to mass hysteria, which is well understood.
When someone shouts “Fire” in a theater;
whether true or not, otherwise rational people, almost spontaneously, begin to act
irrationally. Typically, many more people are injured and killed than if
people evacuated the premises in an orderly manner.
A book written by a German psychiatrist in 19331 is eerily
prescient of what appears to be going on today with respect to Trump's
cult. Trump stated during the campaign
that he
Would you say it’s been a rocky road for
you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth
sailing?
No.
I think it may have been the easiest.
One might say that Donald Trump was my co-author.
Can you tell us about your journey?
The
journey started back in June 2015, when he declared that he was running for
President. At that time most people,
including me, gave him no chance to be nominated, let alone elected. But, until August of that year during the
first Republican Presidential debate; I had not firmly decided to write a
book. What clinched it was Trump's
refusal to pledge support for the eventual nominee. I was
angry at Trump; but probably more so at the Republican National
Committee for letting themselves be intimidated and not banning him from future
debates. If he had been banned; I think
he would have then run as an independent and most likely lost. What I think horrified the committee was the
thought that a great many Republicans
would have joined him in defeat. So,
with the other sixteen candidates cannibalizing each other's support, it was
easy sailing to the nomination. In the
meantime, my co-author was making sure that I was no lacking for material. After the
election, I continued to take notes; but at the same time was organizing
them. Finally, in mid-May of 2018, the
book was published.
If you had to summarize your book in one
sentence, what would that be?
It's a satirical critique of a man I view
as a real danger to our Republic.
What makes your book stand out from the
rest?
A humorous book that is dead serious.
If your book was put in the holiday
section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
Perhaps, Halloween. That may surprise some people since it is
satire; but despite the humor, there is a serious message; and it is scary.
Would you consider turning your book into
a series or has that already been done?
Since I am a political junkie, I will give
you a political answer. I hadn't planned
on it; but one never knows how things might turn out.
What’s next for you?
I've started a book, tentatively titled, Does
God Exist? -A Debate with an Atheist.
Book Description:
If you love Trump, sorry,
this book is not for you. If, on the
other hand, you are horrified at what this man is doing, I think you will enjoy it. I read a very interesting book recently that
discussed despots and their common characteristics. What, then, are the
characteristics of a despot? They attack free
speech and the press. They
threaten political opponents with prison. They scapegoat certain minorities to
rally their base and divert attention from other problems. They engage in
nepotism and use their office for personal and family enrichment. They attack
and vilify the judiciary, legitimate law enforcement, and essentially anyone in
government who is not considered absolutely loyal. And, through a type of mass hysteria, they
create a cult following.
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