With a foreword by the President of the ACLU, Views from the Side Mirror intersperses a moving personal account of the days post 9/11 with a penetrating mix of political and cultural commentary spanning 20 years, from the consequences stemming from the anointment of Bush as President ("This Really is a Crisis"), to the ongoing underlying dynamics of our politics - "Venality vs. Haplessness" - to an assessment of "Kramer vs. Fonzie," musing that "Liberals Barbecue Too," ending with the question "Trump: Virus or Vaccine?"
Views from the Side Mirror embodies the audacity that began the Sixties, the author's generation, which didn't just seek different answers, but asked different questions; these are the often prescient perspectives about the America that is, and the one that could be.
From the Foreword, by Susan Herman, President, ACLU: The essays here are the products of a bold and restless mind. They include very personal accounts: conveying his reactions, as a downtown Manhattan resident, to the events of 9/11; riffing on two quirky and somewhat Herzog-like TV characters - The Fonz, and Seinfeld's Kramer. This collection also thoughtfully probes many other topics Robert offers as aspects of his portrait of today's America. Robert's range of thoughts on the topics of our day is as individual as it is broad. He does not toe the line of any political party. He marches to his own ever-changing beat.
"Robert Herzog's essays are fluidly written and reflect changes in American society as it has morphed during his lifetime. He punctuates his cultural commentary with contemporaneous reactions to 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy.
"Peter J. Solomon, Founder and Chairman of Peter J. Solomon Co., premier independent investment bank; author, Wasting Time Constructively.
"This collection of essays reflects beyond our current political climate; Robert draws together personal stories capturing how the personal will always be political. This book explores what kind of country we've ended up with and how we can earn back our humanity for each other. It begs the question, have we been striving for the soul of the country for decades, only to be spurned by 9/11? If so, what will you do about it?"
Pamela Chomba, Director of State Immigration Campaigns, fwd.us
