This Special Edition book now subtitled The Prologue, was originally written as the tenth book in the series and subtitled “Gambling, Romance and a Song” when the complete trilogy was first completed in 2019, and was also originally intended to be the first of five short books included in Volume Three that conclude the series. However, because the five-year time frame of the tenth book between 1987 and 1992 was a such a transitional period in the story of this entrepreneur as well as in America’s, it was decided that this one book would be appropriate as an introduction to the complete trilogy.

This introduction to A Baby Boomer’s Last Stand is also intended to give the reader the purpose of documenting the personal journey through his eyes and his experiences, during a period when important social changes were just beginning to take form and were very relevant to the society and culture we live in today. It should also be noted that although this particular book is now serving as The Prologue and begins in the middle of this baby boomer’s life’s journey rather than chronologically as are the others in the series, everyone should remember that the movie Star Wars actually began as “Episode Four” when it was first released in 1977 and worked well as a story of its own before any prequels or sequels were even being considered.

Although there are references to many events and people that are introduced in Volume One and Volume Two with the full backstories of how this baby boomer eventually got to this period in his journey, this Special Edition can be read as a prequel, as well as give the reader and entirely different perspective when reading the first nine books in the series. A filmed documentary is in development that will tell of certain cultural changing endeavors and major events the subject of this biography was involved in, but the entire journey and all those who were an important part of his life story could never be told in an under two-hour feature film or even just one book.

This trilogy is an attempt at telling the complete and true story.

After spending hundreds of hours interviewing dozens of those mentioned in these books and documenting their recollections, as well dozens of separate interviews with the subject of this biography himself, hundreds of more hours were spent viewing archival television news footage and newspaper articles, along with personal photos, film, videos, and other personal artifacts also allowed this author to tell an accurate and true story. As is described in the Preface of Volume One, everything in this book is true and happened as described in these pages, and with the exception of only a few names that have been changed for personal privacy, everyone written about in this book are real people. It should also be noted that although there are references to dozens of celebrities and famous personalities that the baby boomer of this biography interacted with over the years (many whose names very few of today’s millennial would probably even remember and will need to “Google”), they are mentioned not for gratuitous purposes, but for the purpose of
how some of those interactions may have affected or changed the direction of this particular baby boomer’s path in life.

These books are also written in more of a “novel” narrative rather than a standard biography storyline and include conversations and dialogue that are reproduced as closely as humanly possible to the original, not only from personal recollections of dozens of those interviewed and mentioned in these books, but from the utilization and verification of documented media sources, as well as primary and secondary sources.

As it is also described in the Preface of Volume One, for those today who would like to forget many things about the last half of the twentieth century and only progress into the future, they should always remember the old adage about “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it” and understand the culture as it was during that period.

It is questionable as to whether or not the baby boomers who are around today would ever be comfortable honestly admitting the way they lived their own lives during that era, but for better or for worse, this was the era when “sex, drugs and rock and roll” had become the mantra of many and were part of what led us where we are today. It is also important to remember that the term “politically correct” was just beginning to creep in to the vocabulary and was only an afterthought in the years covered in this one book. This prologue to A Baby Boomer’s Last Stand, as well as the entire series of books, is written in the real time of that era and conversations and attitudes of many, especially those of the subject of this biography, should be looked at as they were through his eyes and those he interacted with throughout his life.

Finally, it’s often been said that “A picture is worth a thousand words” and hundreds of those photos, newspaper stories and other archival artifacts that were recovered, as well as some still photos that were pulled from archival film and video tape footage are included in all fourteen of these books to make the characters, events and places come to life as almost a “still life documentary” as this trilogy is intended to be. Unfortunately, many of the archival photos that were recovered were over sixty years old and although many weren’t the best quality for reproduction, they were included regardless to again show that everything described in these pages happened as they were written and to tell the story visually along with the narrative.

Although some may be intimidated that this entire series of books eclipses War and Peace in word count, by breaking it into fourteen shorter books involving different time frames, it will not only tell of an entire life’s journey as no one has probably attempted before, but it will also be a much easier read for book lovers of biographies, history, the celebrity and media culture, and to a certain extent, the different philosophies that many have considered at various times in their own lives.

This is only one book of fourteen included in the complete biography of this one unique baby boomer and there will surely be an evenly split opinion of why this story was even told, but at the same time, this author has always believed in the philosophy of Socrates that “An unexamined life is not worth living” as well as an attempt to document the cause and effect that leads to different roads and decisions in a person’s life. If by writing the story of this one baby boomer and his very personal journey is able to have others pause to examine the purpose of their own lives, as well as the cause and effect of their own journeys and decisions, then it will have all been worthwhile.   

Return to Home Page