Michener and Me: A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: FIFTY YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP
Review: Herman Silverman and James Michener were friends for over 50 years. In the early years, right after World War II, they were a couple of broke young men just embarking on what, for both of them, would prove to be very successful careers.

Michener, as we know became a successful, Pulitzer Prize winning author of over 40 novels. Some of his very early short stories were the basis of the musical, "Sound of Music," which is still being performed today.

Silverman, who started out as a landscaper, founded the successful Sylvan Pools, and eventually became a major developer and owner of multiple large building projects. He loved to take calculated risks and turn them into money.

Both ended up millionaires.

_MICHENER AND ME_ is equal parts memoir and correspondence, the correspondence mostly from Michener. It makes no pretence of being a biography.

There's no doubt about it, James Michener was a study in contrasts. As described by Silverman, Michener could be generous one day to the tune of millions, and a penny pincher the next, refusing to help out a friend who needed a small loan. He also often seemed to be lacking in the basic social graces. On more than one occasion, he arrived at the Silverman's home, walked through a room full of guests without acknowledging anyone, went into the den, closed the door, and turned on the television. Silverman attributes this to shyness, his wife believes that Michener was downright rude.

A lot of this behaviour really is explainable, however. Michener grew up in a fatherless home. He didn't know who his father was, and later in life came to believe that his mother really wasn't his mother at all. He described himself as a foundling. His mother took in washing and often had to farm him out to an Aunt who ran the local poor house. He would see old people enter the poor house with almost no belongings and no money. One or more of these poverty stricken people warned him to never let himself get into a condition where he couldn't take care of himself financially. He never forgot these old people, and never, no matter how rich and successful he became, got over his fear of poverty.

Typical of his contrasting attitudes relative to money: Over a lifetime, he accumulated several homes in different areas that mostly sat empty and deteriorated, but he didn't use them or sell them. He literally forgot about them and the money tied up in them. On the opposite side of the coin, he and his wife, when staying in a hotel, would make sure they got the senior discount of a fee dollars, even though they were worth millions.

Through the flow of the book, we come to understand that much of this behaviour was absolutely due to the lasting effects of his solitary, poverty stricken, boyhood.

He gave millions to various charities, foundations, etc. He evolved from an Eisenhower Republican to a Liberal Democrat. He ran for Congress as a Democrat in a conservative Republican district and lost. It wasn't even close. He served on boards of museums and foundations, donating hours of his time, and would tirelessly autograph books to help a friend with a small bookshop.

What is hard to explain is how the friendship between Michener and the outgoing Silverman managed to survive so many differences, and how so many of Michener's better instincts were influenced by both the efforts and the examples of Silverman.

This relationship is best described in his descriptions of their years of weekend trips together, their long discussions on politics, business, and mutual plans, their weekly telephone calls, and Silverman's emotional support during Michener's final illness. To get a feel for this relationship, which is what this book is all about, you'd need to read the book. It does give a different sort of insight from the many Michener biographies available.

Rating:
Summary: FIFTY YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP
Review: Herman Silverman and James Michener were friends for over 50 years. In the early years, right after World War II, they were a couple of broke young men just embarking on what, for both of them, would prove to be very successful careers.

Michener, as we know became a successful, Pulitzer Prize winning author of over 40 novels. Some of his very early short stories were the basis of the musical, "Sound of Music," which is still being performed today.

Silverman, who started out as a landscaper, founded the successful Sylvan Pools, and eventually became a major developer and owner of multiple large building projects. He loved to take calculated risks and turn them into money.

Both ended up millionaires.

_MICHENER AND ME_ is equal parts memoir and correspondence, the correspondence mostly from Michener. It makes no pretence of being a biography.

There's no doubt about it, James Michener was a study in contrasts. As described by Silverman, Michener could be generous one day to the tune of millions, and a penny pincher the next, refusing to help out a friend who needed a small loan. He also often seemed to be lacking in the basic social graces. On more than one occasion, he arrived at the Silverman's home, walked through a room full of guests without acknowledging anyone, went into the den, closed the door, and turned on the television. Silverman attributes this to shyness, his wife believes that Michener was downright rude.

A lot of this behaviour really is explainable, however. Michener grew up in a fatherless home. He didn't know who his father was, and later in life came to believe that his mother really wasn't his mother at all. He described himself as a foundling. His mother took in washing and often had to farm him out to an Aunt who ran the local poor house. He would see old people enter the poor house with almost no belongings and no money. One or more of these poverty stricken people warned him to never let himself get into a condition where he couldn't take care of himself financially. He never forgot these old people, and never, no matter how rich and successful he became, got over his fear of poverty.

Typical of his contrasting attitudes relative to money: Over a lifetime, he accumulated several homes in different areas that mostly sat empty and deteriorated, but he didn't use them or sell them. He literally forgot about them and the money tied up in them. On the opposite side of the coin, he and his wife, when staying in a hotel, would make sure they got the senior discount of a fee dollars, even though they were worth millions.

Through the flow of the book, we come to understand that much of this behaviour was absolutely due to the lasting effects of his solitary, poverty stricken, boyhood.

He gave millions to various charities, foundations, etc. He evolved from an Eisenhower Republican to a Liberal Democrat. He ran for Congress as a Democrat in a conservative Republican district and lost. It wasn't even close. He served on boards of museums and foundations, donating hours of his time, and would tirelessly autograph books to help a friend with a small bookshop.

What is hard to explain is how the friendship between Michener and the outgoing Silverman managed to survive so many differences, and how so many of Michener's better instincts were influenced by both the efforts and the examples of Silverman.

This relationship is best described in his descriptions of their years of weekend trips together, their long discussions on politics, business, and mutual plans, their weekly telephone calls, and Silverman's emotional support during Michener's final illness. To get a feel for this relationship, which is what this book is all about, you'd need to read the book. It does give a different sort of insight from the many Michener biographies available.