Hello! I'm Josh--and with the exception of friends, family, former colleagues, and students, you don't know me from Adam. This autobiography is a down-to-earth, intimate memoir of my life, spanning the bulk of the 1950s through 1970s.
Since I'm almost seventy now, my life today has zero resemblance to that of the person I've written about. The drugs I partake in today, like Lipitor and Flomax, don't seem to be as much fun as acid and mescaline were many decades ago. Nonetheless, my memories of youth are vivid and amusing. Many of the vignettes that I have incorporated into the book are true-to-life anecdotes that I have related over the years at dinner parties to amuse my friends.
Having taught high school for thirty-five years following the events of this book, I intentionally neglected to relate any of the stories to my students knowing full well that I would be fired on the spot. Since I am now very happily retired, I have absolutely no fear of retribution from irate parents or Board of Education members.
In the Daze of My Youth traces my life from good Jewish boy to New York City checker cab driver to degenerate druggie to world traveler. Even though I'm a happily married dad with grown children who are infinitely more responsible than I'll ever be, I sometimes still feel like the wild man I was many years ago . . .