Set in 1975, UNASSISTED LIVING is a tragicomedy about Mildred Meyers, a feisty, seventy-year-old who leads a revolt against the City of New York and a wealthy real estate developer who wants to demolish her Lower East Side tenement to make way for condominiums. Mildred and her cohorts take on the police with rotten produce, eggs, shaving cream, and whipped cream. The police arrest Mildred and her elderly accomplices. Nancy, Mildred's daughter, a busy prima ballerina, goes to New York to bail out her mother. In order to save Mildred from a stiff jail sentence, Nancy must take her mother back to Los Angeles with her. Nancy finds a home for Mildred at the Star Bright Senior Residence in Hollywood. Stanley Cutler, a loveable, longhaired hippy-type in his early-thirties, owns and operates the semi-rundown establishment. Mildred adapts surprisingly quick to her new environment and bonds with Stanley and his quirky residents. She proves to be a real asset when the Los Angeles Licensing Commission and the IRS harasses Stanley. Mildred senses that someone or something is behind the harassment. Eventually, Mildred's over-bearing personality hits everyone like an unexpected tornado. After an incident in which Mildred betrays the trust of her fellow residents, she decides to move to Hawaii, a dream she has harbored for years. Her daughter agrees to fulfill her mother's wish-until something unexpected happens to Nancy that changes Mildred's plans. UNASSISTED LIVING is an optimistic view of aging with humor overshadowing moments of sadness.
About the Author: UNASSISTED LIVING is Bob Puglisi's third novel and fourth book. His previous novels are RAILWAY AVENUE and MIDNIGHT AUTO SUPPLY. His other book is the non-fiction memoir, ALMOST A WISEGUY, which tells the story of his friend Vince Ciacci's life in the Mafia and his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. ALMOST A WISEGUY evolved into an audio book entitled MOBSHOT, in which Vince Ciacci narrates his own story. Bob has had a varied background, including IT professional, actor, playwright, producer, and librarian. He has seen his stage plays produced in Los Angeles and at the Crested Butte Mountain Theatre in Colorado. His acting credits include stage, film, and television. Some of his memorable TV roles were on MATLOCK with the late Andy Griffith, HILL STREET BLUES, and several appearances in comedy skits on The TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno. In the year 2000, Bob won a fellowship from the Colorado Council on the Arts for his screenplay BIG WHITE BONNEVILLE, which he produced as a short film that toured the film festival circuit around the country. In 2016, he adapted it into the novel MIDNIGHT AUTO SUPPLY. You can contact Bob to offer comments or feedback at bpbooks@yahoo.com.