Book Nook by Nanette Wiser
Florida History: On Oct. 26, Jason Vuic will speak at Tombolo Books about his riveting look into The Swamp Peddlers: How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream. Florida has long been a beacon for retirees, but for many, the American dream of owning a home there was a fantasy. That changed in the 1950s. In The Swamp Peddlers, Jason Vuic tells the raucous tale of the sale of residential lots in postwar Florida. Vuic will be in Tombolo’s courtyard with Craig Pittman to discuss the people who “completely transformed the landscape and demographics of Florida.”
“The Swamp Peddlers brings to life an astonishing rogues gallery of crooks and hustlers, each one of them a Florida Man seemingly sprung from the pages of a Carl Hiaasen thriller,” says Craig Pittman, author of Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther.
Under The Big Top: On Oct. 20th from 3-4pm local author Deb Carson and PN contributor will talk about her new book at the St. Pete Beach Public Library. Becoming FLO, A Mostly True Story is the inspiring, real-life story of one of Ringling’s most famous clowns. Albert White was a sixteen-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy who fled from his abusive, homophobic Baltimore home in 1920, joined the circus, found fame, and her true self as a performer named Flo who appeared in movies, on stage and who, until 40 years after her death, was known to her family, including Carson, as Uncle Albert. Here’s what people are saying about the book: Gerald Notaro, USFSP Emeritus Librarian: “FLO is a work of love and a revelation of untold Queer history. These are stories too often lost when those who lived in less tolerant times pass on. Carson has woven her own indelible family history and memories with meticulous research to create a compelling and engaging story that meshes the fabulous cultures of circus, fashion, travel, LGBTQ survival, Florida and even immigration. It is going to make a great film someday.”
Gary Mormino, author and historian: “Deb Carson has written a great American story. Only in America could Abraham, the son of Orthodox Jewish immigrants, change his name to Albert White, question his sexuality, live life on her own terms, join Ringling’s Greatest Show on Earth! and achieve fame as Flo, a beloved circus clown. Carson takes readers from the Russian shtetl under the Czar’s thumb to under the big top of circuses around the world, and to colorful places such as Sarasota’s ‘Turquoise Temple,’ La Tosca Trailer Park.”