Who dies the neatest? I was born in Philadelphia in 1952. Back then my parents and all their peers saw no problem with my buddies and me playing “War” in the streets using very realistic looking cap guns and rifles with rubber bayonets. My dad had fought the Japanese in World War Two. My momContinue reading “Make Games Not War”
Category Archives: Family Stories
Persistence
© 2009 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published in International FamilyMagazine Republished in Folks Magazine on 11/7/09. I was working as a computer programmer at Rutgers University when I saw the perfect job advertised by American Airlines. It had everything that I wanted: interesting work, decent pay, and free travel everywhere American flew. I sentContinue reading “Persistence”
Things VS People
© 2009 Brooke Allen brooke@brooketallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published October, 2009, in International Family Magazine Republished in Folks Magazine on 10/24/09. When I was 16, my dad told me to get in the car – we were going for a ride. We drove to Bolek’s Foreign Car Service. My dad told Bolek that his son neededContinue reading “Things VS People”
What am I?
© 2009 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published August, 2009, in International Family Magazine My friend in college, Debra, asked me, “What are you?” I did not understand the question. “What are you? How hard can that be? I’m Jewish, what are you?” I said I was not religious. “Neither am I. Just tell meContinue reading “What am I?”
In the Best Interest
© 2009 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published in International Family Magazine Republished in Folks Magazine on 10/17/09. In 1981, I decided to create my own consulting company. It occurred to me that I must learn more about selling if I was to find clients and flourish. For this I took a short sales trainingContinue reading “In the Best Interest”
TV Fatality
© 2009 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published in International Family Magazine In 1960, when I was eight years old, my parents bought a television. It was a black and white console model and it cost my dad about a month’s take-home pay. It changed my life. I could now entertain myself without friends,Continue reading “TV Fatality”
Sincerity
© 2008 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published in International Family Magazine When my grandparents lived in Bogotá, Grandma became bored. My grandfather told her that she could spend $1,000 (which was a fair bit of money in the Depression) on a hobby, but it would have to pay for itself. She decided to becomeContinue reading “Sincerity”
Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother, Great Depression
© 2008 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published in International Family Magazine As I detailed in the story How Grandmother Won Granddad in a Beauty Contest my grandparents met on a blind date in New York City in the 1920’s and decided to marry within a week. Granddad Tom was sent to Havana to openContinue reading “Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother, Great Depression”
My Good Name
© 2008 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.com Originally published in International Family Magazine Republished in Folks Magazine on 8/22/09. “Hello” “Is Brooke Allen there?” “Speaking.” “I’m sorry, I have the wrong number.” Click. When I first moved to New York City a well-meaning friend gave me a book about surviving in the city. It served noContinue reading “My Good Name”
Of Parks and People
© 2008 Brooke Allen brooke@brookeallen.com http://www.BrookeAllen.comOriginally published in International Family Magazine For this month’s Father’s Stories column I wrote a brief item about an incident in a park in Tokyo. I had wanted just one photograph of Arisugawa Park to illustrate my story but I could not find any. So, I thought I’d write forContinue reading “Of Parks and People”
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