Book Two of The Generation of Leaves


It is 1955 in New York City, and Velva Whitney tours the Museum of Modern Art with her son, Foster, in his stroller. While she struggles to become an actress of stage and screen, Herb Whitney is afflicted by more than just his middling career as a journalist for The New York Times. In their shabby West Village apartment, the dysfunction within their family is rooted in their past, one which will never go away—playing against a turbulent future that leads them through the better part of the next half-century in a rapidly adapting America. The 1960s bring about change, before the ’70s usher in better times. Then, when Foster Whitney is all grown up, it’s Black Monday.