Capsule Review

Shy? Not Really.

Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers  

Most people wouldn’t recognize the name Mary Rodgers, but they certainly would know of her father Richard Rodgers, of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Rodgers & Hart fame.

Perhaps the greatest American melodist, Richard Rodgers wrote the music for hundreds of great songs such as “Some Enchanted Evening,” “It Might as Well Be Spring,” and “My Favorite Things” with Oscar Hammerstein, and “My Funny Valentine” and “Isn’t It Romantic?” with Lorenz Hart.

Richard’s towering talents loomed large in his daughter’s life, and it was years before she was able to climb out from beneath them. But climb she did, going on to write a successful Broadway musical herself, Once Upon a Mattress; oversee production of Leonard Bernstein’s televised Young People’s Concerts; and write a classic children’s novel, Freaky Friday, made into several popular movies.

Mary’s best friend was Stephen Sondheim, and “Steve” was ever at her side, helping out and, as a gay man, dangling just out of reach.

Her friends knew that of all the achievements, Mary’s greatest creation was herself, a smart, funny, vulnerable, endlessly lovable companion. We meet and walk alongside that companion in Mary’s wonderful memoir, Shy, compiled after her 2014 death by New York Times theater critic Jesse Green from taped conversations with Mary. 

If you like people and have ever whistled a Broadway tune, you’ll enjoy a walk with Mary Rodgers.

Another Glimpse of Dream Baby

Two weeks ago, I announced the publication of Dream Baby, one of eight short memoirs I’ve written between novels. If you missed that announcement, you can read about it here.

In the meantime, here's another brief excerpt:

If we had been paying closer attention that morning, we might have noticed a whiff of something sweet. It was family, and it permeated the air in Nashville. This wasn’t the “family values” used by politicians to club voters over the head during election campaigns, but instead a quiet appreciation for fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, stretching back over the years and across the land. Southerners have their flaws, but one of their great strengths is a sense of belonging—to kin, to place, to neighbors. It gives them roots and explains why, unlike many Californians, they tend to stay put.

We learned to love Nashville. In the midst of it all, the subject of children came up again. We shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, as any Southerner can tell you, when you start putting down roots, thoughts of family can’t be far behind.

Learn more about Dream Baby.