ix, 237 pp. "Those who read Smugtown, U.S.A. need not be told that Curt Gerling has a unique and hilarious style, and a gift for turning a phrase. Nor that the author is an uninhibited historian-reporter of the passing scene. In Good Enough for Grandpa Curt does it again. His latest assessment promises not only pages of laughs but also an excursion into nostalgia. The writer reveals some little-known facts about Rochester's gaudier eras and for the enlightenment (and amusement) of the reader dissects and examines the social body politic. He joyfully discloses what makes present-day 'society' click by presenting his own 'Who's Who' and 'Who's Where' of the local Blue Book. He satirizes with humor and good nature the decline of the American male and the ascendancy of the female. In the process he localizes the procedure and harks back to Susan B. Anthony and the camisole era to bring you present-day reality in the sack look. He presumes to name those women who have contributed most to the local scene, and as an afterthought names seventy-five widows who have a million dollars, plus a great many more who 'have compensating gifts and charms.' He sketches the gay days of the roaring twenties with its speakeasies and restaurants, and the gaming casino and red lights of the days preceding them. It's an irreverent and rollicking low-down, and a worthy companion piece to his earlier book -- and, according to previewers -- destined to outsell it and make new friends and new sales records."
