11/23/21 From Fist Fights in Public School to Traveling 4 hours Everyday to a Jewish Day School in Queens, Meet Dr. Marc Straus, author of One-Legged Mongoose: Secrets, Legacies, and Coming of Age in 1950's New York

Today’s show is going to be a little different than our previous shows. Instead of politics, we have a very special guest is Dr. Marc Straus to talk about his book, One-Legged Mongoose: Secrets, Legacies, and Coming of Age in 1950’s New York. And just in time for Chanukah

When I first started reading the book, for those of you who watch TV, I thought it was something like The Goldberg’s meet The Wonder years, as the book starts off with Marc talking about his chain-smoking mother who drives down the Belt Parkway like a speed demon, then, without slowing down, up the ramp off the Van Wyck Expressway, with total disregard that Marc is going to vomit all over himself if she doesn’t pull over quickly. While the book has its funny moments, there are many important lessons that we hope to discuss with Dr. Straus today.

From getting into fist fights in public school in West Hempstead, Long Island – and always winning – not many Jews can say that, to transferring to a Yeshiva Day school in Queens – traveling alone on the train with his younger brother, for 4 hours every day. Marc’s story is very unique in that he endured physical abuse at home, and never telling anyone, to helping his immigrant father on Sundays at his textile businesses, survived polio, recovered after being hit by a car – ALL BEFORE THE AGE OF 12- to always looking out for his younger brother and other defenseless victims of childhood bullying. 

Today, Marc Straus he is a very prominent Oncologist, published poet writer, and art gallery owner.