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5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Patty Friedmann, author of No Takebacks

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Patty Friedmann, author of No Takebacks
(Tiny Satchel Press)

What is my book about? A young boy who grapples with an abusive father. What is my book really about? It’s really about racism and anti-Semitism and child abuse and family dysfunction and teen pregnancy and personal choice.

Otto Fisher is a 13-year-old adopted child whose father never wanted him—and now doesn’t like him very much. His father doesn’t like anyone but people like himself very much: white, Christian, academic types.

When his father beats up his mother, who is a Jewish artist, Otto has to grapple with his feelings about losing the only father he ever has known. It may be that his father’s new landlady, a smart black businesswoman, is his only salvation.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write No Takebacks?

Patty Friedmann: My books are all character-driven; to hell with plot! I fall in love with a character, and her or his story surely will follow. In the case of Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Patty Friedmann, author of No Takebacks