Pianist in a Bordello
Pianist in a BordelloWhat would happen if a politician decided to tell the truth—the whole truth?
Book Description:
Pianist in a BordelloWhat would happen if a politician decided to tell the truth—the whole truth? Richard Youngblood, aspiring Congressman, is about to find out. He’s running on a platform of honesty and transparency—and against the advice of his friends and advisers he’s decided to start with himself. His autobiography will lay his entire life bare before voters just days before the election.And what a life he’s had. Born in a commune and named Richard Milhous Nixon Youngblood as an angry shot at his absent father, Richard grows up in the spotlight, the son of an enigmatic fugitive and the grandson of a Republican senator. He’s kidnapped and rescued, kicked out of college for a prank involving turkeys, arrested in Hawaii while trying to deliver secrets to the CIA…Dick Nixon Youngblood’s ready to tell all. He’ll even tell his readers about the Amandas—three women who share a name but not much else, and who each have helped shape and define the man he’s become. Are voters really ready for the whole truth?Are you?Pianist in a Bordello is a hilarious political romp through the last four decades of American history, from a narrator who is full of surprises.
Reviews for the Book
From Kirkus ReviewA lighthearted, satirical novel about an honest man who runs for office in corruption-plagued America. Richard "Dick" Milhous Nixon Youngblood, the smart-aleck narrator of Erickson's uproarious debut, is the son of commune-dwelling hippie radical Yuri Yablonsky Youngblood and the grandson of powerful Republican Sen. Stapleton Lambright. In this picaresque tale, Dick's life unfolds in lockstep with the major historical events of the last 40 years or so. He attends Stanford University and UCLA, heads to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield and wins some medals, including a Purple Heart. He comes home and publishes a book about his experience, gets a job teaching high school history (during which his students name him Teacher of the Year), rides the dot-com bubble in Palo Alto, and sells his stocks to become a millionaire. Later, he returns to teaching and eventually contemplates running for office on a Democratic Party ticket. Along the way, his enigmatic father, who's on the run from federal authorities, keeps showing up at opportune moments; as Dick (and Erickson) understates it, "his timing is almost supernatural." Dick himself has telling encounters with a series of women named Amanda. There's Amanda Patricia Nixon (no relation), a slightly unhinged college fling; Amanda Kristina, an ambitious lawyer and port-a-potty heiress ("her smile had a better chance of making the world safe for democracy than the rhetoric of Woodrow Wilson"); and the great love of Dick's life, intrepid reporter Amanda Patina. Although Dick is a passionate, dedicated teacher--and the classroom sections of the book are the most heartfelt and gripping by a wide margin--he kicks off a campaign for office and insists on publishing the garish, often hilarious autobiography that forms the bulk of this novel. Along the way, the author combines highly effective Joseph Heller-style political and social satire with some surprisingly touching personal moments. Overall, Erickson welds all of these elements together into a hugely enjoyable comic novel. A fast-paced, raucous tour through the last half-century alongside a modern-day Candide..From Underground Book Reviews"Pianist in aBordello is so well crafted it compels readers to surrender and enjoy thisirreverent, madcap portrait of a politician. A steady flow historic nuggets,shrewd insights, passionate encounters, and all-out hilarious moments, make itdifficult to stop reading." From San Francisco Book Review
Withan interesting combination of literary tools to keep Erickson's plot constantlymoving--opening chapters with sarcastic quotes, alternating between the abovementioned scenes, various plot twists, and closing on a humorous, yetthought-provoking note, Pianist in a Bordello is definitely afun read for all. "We are proud to announce that Pianist in a Bordello by Mike C. Erickson is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!" From EM Kaplan, author of Josie Tucker mysteries."I don't ever bandy around the words "tour de force," but Pianist in a Bordello knocked my socks off. Yes, I too, was reminded of Catch-22 by its glib tone and pacing. I also felt a little Hunter S. Thompson. Maybe some John Kennedy Toole... Every once in a while, I come across someone who is simply outstanding. Bravo, Mr. Erickson.".From Red City Reviews."Erickson'swriting is exciting, fun, honest, and so well-written that you'll find yourselfwondering where his next novel is."About the Author:
Mike C. Erickson grew up in the idyllic college town of Logan, Utah, but because of a twist of fate he graduated from high school in Honolulu. He left Hawaii brimming with aloha and enrolled at Utah State, where he was awarded two degrees and self-proclaimed minor intellectual status, which was of dubious value when the US Army invited him to vacation in South-East Asia. Ten days after leaving Vietnam, he began decades of dispensing pearls of wisdom as a high school history teacher, academic decathlon coach, and on occasion, as a community college instructor in the Sacramento area. Mike and his wife Trudy, have two grown sons and a grandson born soon after this novel is published. When not in Hawaii or another exotic locale, they live in Gold River, California. This is his first novel.
The award winning novel, Pianist in a Bordello, garnered a nod by the Northern California Publishers and Authors for third place in General Fiction. It was also awarded two first places in fiction and humor by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. In addition, PIAB was re named as a recipient of the coveted BRAG awards. Publishers Weekly, Red City Reviews and Kirkus Reviews all included it in the top ten percent of Indie books that were submitted. The gold standard of book promotion, BookBub recently accepted Pianist in a Bordello for a featured position in their newsletter. BookBub only accepts between ten to fifteen percent of the hundreds of books submitted daily. Pianist in a Bordello was top pick and finalist for Underground Book Reviews, Novel of the Year.