Episode 674 – Josh Alan Friedman

Episode 674 – Josh Alan Friedman

From Virtual Memories Show by Gil Roth

April 25, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

Josh Alan Friedman discusses his novel and reflections on his childhood in Great Neck.

Virtual Memories Show 674: Josh Alan Friedman “All of my best friends were sent away to reform school. I kept the letters they sent me, and they’re in the book.” Pull up a chair, enjoy a kasha varnishke, and listen to me and Josh Alan Friedman talk about his kaleidoscopic novel, ALL ROADS LEAD TO GREAT NECK (Wyatt Doyle Books/New Texture)! We talk about the momentous years he spent in Great Neck as a kid and why he set his novel in 1970, the ne’er-do-wells and drug addicts he knew (and emulated) in school, how Great Neck has changed since his “glory days,” and the larger-than-life Yiddishkeit ghost who haunts the novel. We get into how he managed to weave Irving Berlin, Floyd Patterson, and Leslie West into the story, how his wife got him to finish the book by putting up post-it notes in their kitchen about each chapter, and how he reconstructed 1970 Great Neck from his collection of the notes girls used to pass in schools and the letters his friends sent him from reform school. We also discuss life after losing his dad, Bruce Jay Friedman , in 2020, how he used to take his 14-year-old pals to see showings of Bruce Jay’s play Steambath so…

People in this episode

Host: Gil Roth

Guest: Josh Alan Friedman

Topics covered

  • memoir
  • literature
  • nostalgia
  • family
  • New York history
  • Yiddish culture

Keywords

  • Josh Alan Friedman
  • Great Neck
  • memoir
  • Bruce Jay Friedman
  • 1970
  • Yiddishkeit
  • literature

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wyatt Doyle Books/New Texture

Books & works: ALL ROADS LEAD TO GREAT NECK

Places: Great Neck, Las Vegas, New York

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