Long Time No See: Confessions of a Hollywood Gangster [signed] [first edition]

Long Time No See is not only what the notorious gangster Lucky Luciano said to me in Rome when I asked him to do me a favor in 1957 - which he did - Long Time No See is also a metaphor for a blindness, an inability to see oneself without the protective shell we use to avoid seeing ourselves. I used a lot of that armor to disguise faults and mishaps. It eventually became the failure to see who I was or what I was to myself, my family and friends. I'm not sure how it is with others as I'm still having a helluva time with the beguiling puzzle. In a profession and sometimes game of make-believe, reality can be the stranger you sometimes thoughtlessly disregard. I am grateful to many people who have been patient with my shortcomings and who encouraged the search for understanding. A am grateful to many people who have been patient with my shortcomings and who encouraged the search for understanding - particularly Joe Benti, who gave good counsel and pointed out some of the deceptions I practiced. To Ray Bradbury, PAt Foulk, and the late Richard Burton for their encouragement and, of course, my loving wife Fanya for her constancy in keeping ths ship afloat. I hope I came closer this time, and after a long time to see some of it, for what it is.