Leslie Epstein's novel of a childhood/adolescence in mid-century Hollywood as told by the novel's narrator, painter Richard Jacobi, is a mix of memory and fiction that illuminates expansive themes with excellent prose in a brave, sometimes controversial, always entertaining style that can be expected from a great writer who always seems to have a great story to tell.
The first half of the book is four tales that each focus on a life-changing event and are brought alive by the surrounding narration. In this section, the writing is direct and unapologetic, recounting instances both pleasurable and painful with a candor that at times borders on the dispassionate but nonetheless evokes a range of emotion: loneliness, irony, love, lust, betrayal-and at times caused me to laugh until I cried. Though comprised of separate instances going back and forth over different periods of time and involving very different circumstances, this first half strives for a level of wholeness and unity that, for the most part, is achieved.
The second half of the novel is set many years later and features Richard moving back to his old family house on San Remo Drive with his wife and adopted twin sons. From this point the novel flows much more smoothly, and the fact that it is one continuous story without chronology shifts doesn't hurt. For me, the highlight of the entire novel appears here, in the characterization of Richard's wife, Marcia. At the end of the day she is the most honest and true of all of them (and funny as hell, too). Her jealousy of Richard's ever-present muse, Madeline, and the events that unfold as a result are at once hilarious, shocking, and complex, and above all relevant to everyone who, as human nature often demands, gives too much of themselves to too many people.
I enjoyed the book immensely as a lovely tie-together of past, present and future, of homage to family and the effect it has on art (both fictional and real), and of identity, love and life through generations.

Epstein at his very best- a poignant memoir of his boyhood in the Hollywood of the '50's. It is the story of excruciating loss and the painful task of revisiting his past. Against the backdrop of Malibu, lemon groves, sunshine and his beloved home on San Remo Drive, he weaves the story of his own redemption through Richard Jacobi, the narrator.
I couldn't put the book down.

Courageous recreation of 1950's boyhood in LA. At once hopeful and terrifying. Pansies the centers of which look like the teardrops of cockerspaniels. A cocker spaniel attacked by a police dog. Sea foam like animal fat. The McCarthy hearings as only a thinker of great humanity and comic breadth could portray. Full of heart. Readers, take note.

I found this book funny, witty and unexpected. It kept me on my toes, and I really had fun reading it.

King of the Jews is a compelling, interesting fascinating read that tells the story of Lodz, the last ghetto to be liquidated in Poland. I.C. Trumpelmann is the protagonist. Supposedly a doctor, he cons his people, leaves, and returns to rule them and "protect" them from the nazis. He is loved and hated. There are funny parts, but most are horrifying and sad. One of the more interesting things about "King.." is that it gives you a look at not only what life was like inside the ghetto, but also the Jewish politics behind it.
The down side is that there are so many characters it's difficult to remember who is who. I knew that this was based on a real man, but it took me a while to realize that Epstein had changed almost every major character's name, including Hitler's.
Either which way, this is a fascinating book, that if fell into the right hands, would make a movie that could rival Schindler's List. Highly recommended.

In 'King of the Jews', Epstein tells a captivating story of a doomed Polish Jewish Ghetto during WWII. The narrator makes us laugh and cry with his ironic view of the tragedy. It was daring of the author to break with tradition by allowing the reader to perceive WWII ghetto life with a sense of humor. By omitting the extremes of WWII horror, Epstein makes the story more believable without mitigating the tragedy. I could emphathize with the struggles yet did not perceive the Jews as victims. A great script for Mr. Spielberg!

It's rare to come across a book like this, which as Epstein brings out in his own review, brings a comical tone to an event of serious and tragic nature such as the holocaust. But in doing so, Epstein makes the characters much more alive, human and real. For instance, at one point, after the Jews had been transported to the ghetto and they must meet a work quota to eat, a rabbi presiding over a funeral has been deprived of his day's rations for failing to meet the quota. At the same time the funeral is being carried on, a few orphans of the orphanage which I.C. Trumpelman, who is "King of the Jews" presides over, are trying to smuggle a cow, the only one in the ghetto, out to some children more in need of its milk than themselves. In the process, the cow escapes and falls into the hole meant for the dead man, a once wealthy man, named Fiebig, who went crazy. The citizens try to think of ways to get the cow out, and the rabbi tells them to cut it up humanely and divide the meat between themselves. The citizens, of course, decide to get the cow out of the pit, so they can put the dead man in, and the rabbi finally comes up with, "Let's eat Fiebig and bury the cow." The book leaves the reader to make their own decsions on the morals at hand, much as the people who lived through it did, from the Judenrat members and their president, Trumpelman, who rides a messianic white horse in his daft idea of playing a greater Moses to his people, to the opposers of the Judenrat who dream of themselves as being allied with the Red Army and kidnap an American in hopes of his taking home news as to what is actually going on in the ghettos. I found nothing vulgar in the book other than what humans usually seem to be guilty of under such circumstances, in fact, I think there were only 4 curse words and no sex scenes. Just the same, the novel has a definite edge, as when the Judenrat members, which is a comittee of about 15 people who preside over law in the ghetto, must decide who first to send to the concentration camps, and find suicide is not an option. Trumpelman controls even that. I definitley recommend this for all and any who are looking for a book about the holocaust without the usual S&M tales of the gestapo agents with black and oiled leathered gloves, or more attention to the details of torturing and horror than to any of the people who lived through it, people much like us. It reminds me more, without giving away the ending, of how one feels when given an identity card of someone alive during the holocaust whose identity you take on, when entering the Washington DC Holocaust Museum, and it is only at the end of your tour, that you find out if they lived or died. But as you turn the pages of your passport, your identity, you never stop hoping.

I have to admit, I can't stand books written in a question-and-answer format. Its too hard to find what you need. This book is a prime example of why I hate this format. As an example, let's assume that you want information on "Getting People to Participate." You go to the corresponding section and now have to wade through every question in the section to find something that may or may not be applicable to you and your session. There's no doubt that there is some useful information to be found in this book; unfortunately, its just too darned hard to find it. Save your money and buy a copy of "The Ultimate Training Workshop Handbook" instead.

Training and Development Book Review The Instant Trainer; Quick Tips on How to Teach Others What You Know By: C. Leslie Charles and Chris Clarke-Epstein

The Instant Trainer, by C. Leslie Charles and Chris Clarke-Epstein is ideal for use with developing and presenting training modules. It provides practical information, advice, tips, and techniques for new trainers. The content is relevant and valuable to a trainer who does not have experience in the field. My assessment of the material is a positive one. The material is sensible, easily understood, and organized clearly. There is enough information without the reader being overwhelmed. The real-life examples help interpret and reinforce pivotal concepts. The topics covered are fundamental to training, but important issues that might be less obvious to a novice are addresses from a seasoned trainer's perspective. My only negative critique is that in the second half of the book, the pretend "advice letters" were over used. Key points were presented in the letters, and there were just too many of them. Cutting down their frequency and only using them to reinforce and reiterate key ideas would have been more effective. The focuses of The Instant Trainer can be broken into four components: FAQ's, techniques, advice, and tools. The FAQ issues cover such issues as, what is in a training session, how to get people to participate, learning assessments, and what to do about difficult trainees. Access to this information can be very beneficial to a new trainer because without the book, achieving an understanding of these insights would require extensive fieldwork and time-consuming training experience. The training techniques discussed include; teaching methods, learning methods, understanding trainees, paying attention, and incorporating fun into the training session. This information is useful to trainers with limited education in general training principals.

The third component of material in The Instant Trainer is the "behind-the-scenes advice." These suggestions and recommendations cover everything from presentation delivery skills to identifying and organizing material. Five factors affecting the success of every training session are examined, as well as advise on how to identify early warning signs of disaster or success. The last section of The Instant Trainer deals entirely with providing the reader with training tools. There are checklists for the trainer to use before, during, and after a presentation, and numerous tips on all aspects of audience participation. A list of eleven resources and 45 general training books is included. The section closes with two sample evaluation forms for the trainees to fill out assessing the effectiveness of the trainer and the course. The Instant Trainer is a valuable resource for any new trainer. The practical information and real-life illustrations of the issues discussed make this training and development textbook so effective. I not only appreciated the concise explanation of the fundamental concepts about training, but I also relied on the tips, tools, and advice while developing and presenting my own training module.

When my boss came to me and awarded me the mantle of "trainer" for a huge project rollout at our site, I nearly panicked! I'd never done anything like this before, and I hadn't spoken in front of a group in years. This book saved my life! It is wonderfully and empathetically written, and it was easy for me to absorb the trainers' collective years of experience. As a result, I gained the confidence I needed. My class feedback has been terrific; some people saying it's one of the best classes they've ever had. I used the book's suggestions every step of the way and I now recommend it to everyone who has any kind of training or presentation on the horizon.

Update: July 03: Over a year later, this book CONTINUES to inspire me. I've found I truly love training, and even though it's not my main job function, my feedback has been so good, I am now being sent around the world to conduct training! I'm even going to conduct a train-the-trainer class, and I'm using this book as my textbook. One of the things that really stands out to me in this book is the friendly style of the authors. They WANT to teach you, WANT you to be successful...I've adopted their style in the classroom with great results. Buy this book and you won't be sorry!

Casting Peter Lorre as the cynical voice of Hollywood was a brilliant stroke in Epstein's part. Unfortunately, the execution fails, as his depiction of Lorre, and for that matter ALL THE CHARACTERS, leave much to be desired.
I agree with a few reviews already written about this book: Epstein tries WAY TO HARD to get his message across, and in the process falls flat. For me this book was heavy and dull, up until they get to the cult-like town of Pandaemonium, where it does pick up the pace and becomes quite the page turner. And I did feel much sympathy for poor Peter Lorre, when he turns from being a Japanesse sleuth to a Cassandra, preaching of destructions to come.
The POV switch was as much an annoyance as (I'm sorry to say this) the Epstein twins. And the "it smells like almonds" jokes were not funny to begin with. The fact that this joke pops up quite frequently throughout the whole book is enough to make you cringe.
One last rant: every single character in this book is selfish and despicable. I hated each and every one of them. Now there's nothing wrong with hating characters. The Maltese Falcon is a prime example of characters you LOVE to hate.
But no, these characters you just simply hate.
Epstein did good when he penned King of the Jews. What happened here is a mystery.

The idea of Peter Lorre as narrator of this book promises to be a funny one. But I think those of a certain age, who have the hysterical voice of Rocky Rococo indelibly ringing in our ears, will be disappointed. I was. The author doesn't really capture that Peter Lorre. His coyness about his drug abuse and sexual hi-jinks lacked an expected leering quality. His cringings were ordinary rather than epic. I won't say the portrayal is a failure as he has a certain presence. But for someone so colorful in our memory he is rather flat on the page. Most of the alleged humor in the book is similarly drab.

This is a pretty good book nonetheless. The events leading to those set in the dessert provide many a memorable occasion for compulsive reading. The intricate episode when, as he is being interrogated by Goebbels the imperious Von Beckmann, flashes back to his travels into the Jewish villages of Europe revealing his true origins to us, is masterfully done.

But the culmination of the book, the grim antics on location in Death Valley are outlandish and unbelievable. The cult atmosphere as described is jarringly anachronistic; more reminiscent of Charlie Manson than Hitler. Yet we are explicitly directed by the author to take these as analogous to the Nazi madness of the era.

I wrote this to try and understand what to make of this book. My expectations for it were disappointed at every turn. Yet it held my interest right up to the final chapters. But these desert episodes seem totally misguided; And worse, predictable. Yet I admired much of the writing. I guess those who read of my still unresolved dilemma regarding this book may take it as a warning.

A really human portrait of mixing the personal and the political in the name of artistic endeavors, I found this book to be a wonderful read about Hollywood in its heyday. In the same way the author was unafraid to take on the Holocaust and protray it in the language of human survival for King of the Jews, Epstein is also unafraid to be both funny and frightening in this novel.