A Note from Judy Mandel

As the summer winds down I am in total denial that the leaves will change, and the snow will fall! It’s always the same for me. Denial really should be my middle name. But this year I’m gearing up for the launch of my new book, White Flag. So there are interviews and a scheduled tour starting in October. If you are receiving this, I hope you may be interested in coming to an event near you or listening to an interview that pops up on a podcast or radio show. Check my Media page on judymandel.com for the interviews.

Writing White Flag was much different than writing my first book, Replacement Child. That was an excavation of my childhood past. This memoir is a fresh, desperate quest to understand substance use disorder (SUD) to make sense of my niece’s struggle. The thread from Replacement Child to White Flag is more like a tangled rope—with generational trauma tying the two books together. The more I talk to people about this book, the more I see that there are many of us trying to find these answers. I won’t lie, the conversations are difficult. Understanding more doesn’t necessarily result in solutions. But there are certainly concrete actions that help both those with SUD and their families.

I am just finishing reading Beth Macy’s new book, Raising Lazarus, which I recommend to anyone who is interested in what can be done on a social and political level to help stem the crisis of substance use disorder and death that is still ravaging our country. I’ll be writing a review of her new book on BookTrib.com in the coming weeks.

Truth Pharm is an organization to watch too. I’ve just joined their Policy Committee to understand more about what can be done legislatively. You may be interested in an upcoming Trail of Truth march in Washington, D.C. on September 24th.

Here’s a list of the book events I have scheduled so far. I hope to see you at one of these near you. You can see more about White Flag at judymandel.com.

Thanks so much for your time reading this. Be well!

Book Events:

September 10, 1:30-3:30
Riverbend – Author Stage at Glastonbury Arts Festival on the Green
Hubbard Green (intersection of Main St. and Hubbard St.),
Glastonbury, CT

October 7: 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Books & Books
533 Easton Street
Key West, FL

October 9: 2 – 4 pm
Fish Hawk Recreation Center
2318 Buttonwood Run
The Villages, FL

October 13, 1 pm
Duxbury Senior Center
10 Mayflower Street
Duxbury, MA

October 16: 1 – 3 pm
Bank Square Books
53 West Main Street
Mystic, CT

October 18: ZOOM, 7 – 8 pm
Warwick’s Books
La Jolla, CA

November 21: 7 – 8 pm
Westport Public Library
20 Jesup Road
Westport, CT

November 29: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
West Hartford Library
20 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT