Donovan’s Bookshelf, June 2023 Review Issue
D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Mark Glassman is a self-taught twenty-five-year-old whose eclectic
educational pursuits have resulted in a generalist’s education, a
literary jack-of-all-reading knowledge, and various light addictions
which mitigate the impact of his intellect.
When he falls in love with Teresa Devlin, he finds himself unexpectedly
terrified about his lack of sexual savvy, and so he begins to pursue his
more accessible, safer roommate Sarah–only to find himself in a
dangerous emotional game as his relationships entangle and become
angst-ridden and complicated.
There’s only one thing to do. Run for it.
In too many ways, Glassman has never really grown up. From his adult
interactions with his parents, which mimic the whining self-absorption
of childhood, to his insistence that life goes his way or it’s the
highway, Glassman represents an intellectual and emotional dichotomy.
His actions reflect not only his delayed adulthood, but patterns of
approaching life and lessons he’s absorbed from his divorced parents:
“In addition to my refusal to rent a carpet cleaner, the ingrained
frugality of my father found its way into the schedule I devised for
going to the neighborhood laundromat. This schedule was constructed upon
the necessity of making my four or five hand-me-down towels last as long
as my two bed sheets.”
As readers review Glassman’s life through his first-person experiences
and reflections, they will realize that they, too, have known many an
adult like him. But, here, the psychology explaining his actions, logic,
and disparities in dealing with life provides succinct, hard-hitting
insights that make Glassman both a character to like and one that also
exists on the edge of condemnation.
From tangled family relationships that lead him to procrastinate over
important decisions (like finding work) to his naivety in dealing with
women and life, Glassman represents a self-inspection form of flawed
logic that works to sometimes support and sometimes circumvent
Glassman’s desires and ambitions.
His tendency to embrace both unemployment and flight lend a realistic
feel to the story of a character continually confused about the world
around him, the psyches of women and men, and the love and hate that
swirls around a divorce he never really accepted.
Steve Oskie’s ability to view life through the eyes of a character both
eminently likeable and deeply flawed leads readers into a whirlwind of a
life that always teeters on the brink of breakdown and disaster, yet
represents a resiliency that comes from the same disruptive forces of
childhood experience.
Glassman is a coming-of-age story (even though the character is well
into his twenties) that follows a new adult’s journey into full-fledged
adulthood, in whatever form that might assume for a damaged soul.
Oskie’s character comes to life through his inquiries, fears, and
realistic methods of both embracing and rejecting set courses in life
based on his past. This makes for thought-provoking insights into the
maturity process as, now an adult, he reconsiders his motivations and
fears.
Libraries and readers seeking stories of evolution and growth will find
Glassman a classic in its approach to revealing transition points and
influences, whether they reside in family history and current
relationships or new, frightening, and ultimately uplifting
opportunities for change.
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Balcony Blues Review
Don Malvasi, May 2023
In The New Novel “Glassman” Sexual Anxiety Goes Down Easier Than Expected
Mark Glassman is in a bind. While a serial purveyor of drop-dead dread, he assures his first person narration is made only sweeter by injecting a dark delight in his depiction of an assuredly fraught condition:
Sexual anxiety.
Mark has it in spades. Written by Steve Oskie, of ghostwriter-to-Jerry Blavat fame in the autobiography “You Only Rock Once,” “Glassman” is a late 1970s/early 80s coming-of-age tale of this peculiar affliction—its manifestations, possible causes, and oddly comical side effects. The reader can’t help but not feel superior to Mark since Oskie hits on a number of universal truths in his exploration of a subject that in lesser hands would have provoked a “Hey, what the hell do I have to learn from this character?” reaction.
Sparked by the painful divorce of his Jewish parents and relayed through Glassman’s resultant rebellion against nearly any and all parental expectations, Oskie isn’t shy about the sheer volume of punch lines as he carves a portrait of a perpetual worry wart. His unwillingness to forfeit sarcasm in no way impairs the ability of serious psychological insight to stand alongside the guffaws that recall Woody Allen and Bruce Jay Friedman. The humor can be unsavory, the drama terse. Yet they reside in a meaty coexistence. The novel’s handling of family dynamics often hits a raw nerve:
“There were other connections to my dad as well, in addition to doing my paperwork on Sundays. My aversion to following in his footsteps had softened considerably, and I actually went out of my way to identify similarities that increased my fondness for him. He had spent the better part of his life climbing in and out of cars, showing his wares in a succession of rinky-dink towns, and depending on his powers of persuasion. Ultimately, he was at the mercy of the decision-makers, as salesmen have been since the beginning of time, and it required a marketable product. But without a certain toughness, a thick skin, and a lively personality, it would have been hard to sell anything. Once I realized that I was getting to know him better by following in his footsteps, the act of selling took on a filial importance. Before long, instead of being defensive about it, I gained a sense of pride from my success as a salesman and the connection to my father, and I started to look for additional similarities between us since the first few I identified were so pleasurable to me. I even found my way to the discovery that my left arm had a darker tan than my right after resting it on the open car window while driving. My father’s arm had been the same way for as long as I could remember.”
But serious analysis is careful to give way to lighter passages like this excursion on an ambivalent encounter with celebrity:
“I experienced the profound confusion of whether I should have sex with a man’s sister or ask him for his autograph.”
Before long Teresa—a free-spirited enchantress who will be remembered long after finishing this novel—becomes the center of what can only be described as a bizarre love triangle. Here’s she is examined through a keen discerning lens in this passage regarding her mom, Lorraine:
“Lorraine’s love for Teresa was a dotted line and men like me were given the task of filling in the blanks.”
Mark Glassman’s calling card, his go-to defense mechanism and his eventual Achilles heel, is none other than sarcasm—a blistering quick wit that both soothes him through rough spots and undermines him. Relayed through enough often fascinating female characters that it was tempting to grab a notepad to keep track, Glassman not so subtly upends any stereotypes one may wish to hold onto about a man afraid of sex. The nonnormative performance anxiety put on view by Mark Glassman spews forth a bottomless bounty of black humor and equally dark insights while still holding forth a benign view of the simplicity inherent in redemption.
Malvasi is the host of “Sleeper Songs and Forgotten Tracks,” Wednesdays from 7-10 pm, on Jay Bird Radio.
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Additional Media Coverage
Sand Paper Article (Community Newspaper of Long Beach Island)
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Philadelphia Stories posted this on FaceBook on July 18:
Pitch Fest Testimonial!
Steve Oskie participated in our June 2022 Pitch Fest event, where he received feedback from two agents that greatly improved his query letter and writing samples. Just FIVE months later, his novel, GLASSMAN, was accepted for publication by David Ross of Open Books, and was published on May 29, 2023! Steve described Pitch Fest as a “valuable experience” for him and his writing!
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Congratulations, Steve, and thank you for sharing your experience with us all!
Reader Comments
If you’ve read Glassman, I would welcome your comments. Please email them to me and let me know if I have your permission to post them on this website.
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“The opening pages had me laughing out loud. They reminded me of the same joy I felt reading Portnoy’s Complaint for the first time.”
Dan Pope, author of In the Cherry Tree and Housebreaking
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A New Voice with Great Promise
Steve Oskie is a terrific writer. I can’t recommend his novel Glassman enough! It is a significant work and I hope it finds a large audience. His stories forced me to think of my years after high school, lost relationships, my early employers, my insecurity with the opposite sex, discovering drugs and when I was also completely unsure of myself. They were years that I thought I wanted to forget but forced myself to remember after reading Steve’s stories. I can’t recommend Glassman enough. Any book that can affect you this much is a significant event. This is memorable writing. Please read it.
Russell E. Lloyd
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Dear Steve,
I finished Glassman last night.
I don’t recall another book that made me laugh every time I read it. I’ve never read a book that made me laugh more. That’s not an exaggeration.
Aside from your precision, I love your talent for writing a hilarious section and immediately transitioning to something poignant and insightful, such as what you wrote about Sarah: “She was helpless in the face of my attention and so afraid that she had to let me help her, despite the fact that my assistance weakened her all the more.”
The job interview with Chip might be my favorite passage. I laughed till I cried. I take that back. Richie’s teaching you to drive a stick with the pain in his neck was equally hilarious.
I mentioned your precision. The way you crucified Carlucci was delicious. I was hoping he would get his.
The refrains about your relationship with your father struck home, too. When I was 11, I was the first among my siblings to visit my father after my parents had separated. One of the most memorable nights of my life was spent at his basement apartment at Wayne Ave. and Walnut Lane watching The Caine Mutiny and Angels with Dirty Faces. I woke up Saturday to coffee and rye toast with Muenster cheese. I still hear him biting into his bread.
We share a similar dynamic with our mothers. I could picture myself sending my mother back to Delray Beach like you left your mom at the airport.
It’s a wonderful book, Steve. It’s such a great read that a minute ago, I clicked on Place your order for Mean Thoughts.
Warmest regards,
Bruce Ditnes
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“Thanks for the great read. I enjoyed it so much I’m sorry I finished it. I might have to re-read it at some point soon.”
Al Newton, retired bank executive
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“This book is for anyone who had insecurities as a teenager. Mark Glassman, the protagonist, looks squarely at his self-perceived inadequacies with almost painful honesty. Yet he does so with such bravery and laugh-out-loud humor, I found myself reflecting on my own teenage cringe-worthy moments, but with greater self-acceptance and understanding. This is a good book for teenagers and for parents wishing to better understand their own teen.”
Julie Weiss Ph.D., Psychologist
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“The author gives us a matter of fact and sympathetic picture of Glassman’s struggles and aspirations as a young man in the Philadelphia area during the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. The vivid descriptions of that era and its iconic landmarks and music took this reader on a journey to a much-loved area and time. This flawed and likable protagonist will inspire your loyalty as you wish him the best throughout the pages.”
Heidi B.
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“I didn’t want to like Mark Glassman, a privileged teenager who made an artform out of freaking out his mother. Grow up, I thought. And that’s just what he did. He charmed me with his unique perspective on life growing up as an underachiever with great potential. Mark explored his potential as a busboy, dishwasher, hoagie shop schlepper, envelope stuffer, and an embarrassing stint as a carpenter’s helper. He totally won me over with his self-deprecating humor and his desperate quest for love and sex. His wry, witty take on almost everything helped him have a ball while he gradually turned into a true mensch.”
Barbara Crawford, Writer and Editor
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“Honest, often embarrassing self-examination is a hallmark of author Steve Oskie’s hilarious Glassman, a memoirish novel about a 20-something, perpetually horny, clever and sarcastic college dropout in search of his next Screwdriver, nickel bag, sexual conquest, or low-wage job that he’ll laughably lose in record time. Set in Philadelphia and Long Beach Island of the 1980s, the novel follows Mark Glassman as he evolves—from a “slacker” longing for sex with any number of housemates, waitresses, co-workers, and the idealized, unattainable Teresa Devlin—into a mensch-in-progress, but not your stereotypical “nice Jewish boy.” Poignant and flat-out funny, it’s a five-star read that leavens the pathos of unrequited love and Glassman’s fractured-family drama with his periodic triumphs and countless laughs. Glassman? It’s a gas, man!”
Michael Matza, Pulitzer Prize finalist at the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of Haiti, Love and Murder in the Season of Soup Joumou
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“You capture the angst – and necessity – of growing up, hilariously. I could especially relate as a weed-loving college dropout music lover, writer, and territory salesman. And every one of the Delaware Valley / Jersey Shore shoutouts put a big smile on my face. A wonderful read.”
Anthony Noel, award-winning journalist
Note: Glassman is a prequel, sequel, and reworking of Mean Thoughts, and is recommended over its predecessor. Here is Anthony Noel’s review of Mean Thoughts:
“This book is hilarious. Its objective is to look back at the dramas of our youth through the eyes of the adult who is now able to see that they were, as our parents said, “just a stage.” Those stages were critically important to us at the time, of course – and it is this book’s ability to conjure the feelings of those days but to reflect on them with humor that is its greatest strength. Beyond the author’s expert blending of the bitter and sweet, he paints a vivid portrait of mid-70s Philly, from the South Street music scene to the early days of what is now Comcast (back when it was known as PRISM).
Whether you’re from Philly or elsewhere, the emotions this book will create in you are universal – and upon turning the last page, you’ll have a new appreciation not only for what life demands of us but for the hilarity of our responses to its ridiculous demands.”
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“I read ‘Glassman’ and Steve Oskie’s earlier work ‘Mean Thoughts’ and loved them both. It is almost scary how much I can relate to the books and characters having grown up in the Philly area in the same time frame.. Growing up can be both fun and painful and it comes across in these books. I am now 64 and my growing up will be complete when they bury me. Just attended Steve’s reading event on 9/9 and got more insight to the material. I hope others will check these books out.”
Mike Weaver
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“I read the 3,600 pages of My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard. This is just as enjoyable (and shorter!)”
Steve Gamburg, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine, Main Line Health
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“With one entertaining scene after another, Glassman is a funny, true-to-life coming-of-age of a 20-something underachiever, circa 1970. Steve Oskie writes about his main character’s anxiety about girls (classic), inability to remain employed (you want to shake him) and fraught family relationships (okay, you feel bad for him) with insight and style. In the end, I found Glassman to be a fun and intuitive take on the confusions of growing up.”
Pamela Gwyn Kripke, author of At the Seams
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“Steve, I have enjoyed your book immensely. And thank you so much for the playlist. I enjoyed your choices and learned about an artist with whom I was unfamiliar….Paul Kelly. I’ll be playing that one on my next show!”
Bob Wigo, host of “Rock and Roll Ramble,” Tuesdays from 8-10 pm on WEES, 107.9 FM
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A Home Run!
Mark Glassman from the get-go seems to be so lost but so loveable and made me laugh—a lot. References to Philadelphia are pure gems. If you’re looking to follow a smart and resourceful guy with a big heart this book is for you.
Billy O.
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A Truly Hilarious Coming of Age Story
Oskie’s talents for incisive character development and humor really come to the fore in this hilarious, coming of age story. Glassman at points had me nearly pissing myself with laughter with descriptions of people and events that the writer is truly gifted at capturing in mere sentences. Not to be missed!
Chris Fluck, instructor at Hot Yoga Philadelphia
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