Herbert Appleman is an author, playwright, lyricist & composer, writer & producer of documentaries, and lecturer on the American musical; for many years, he was also a professor of English.
A Perfect Gentleman, his comedy about Lord Chesterfield, won the American Playwrights Theater Award, and has been produced by major regional theaters on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dauntless Dick Deadeye, his new version of HMS Pinafore, was produced by the Open Air Theatre in London and won an Olivier Award nomination.
“…And Suddenly You’re Alone,” his documentary about widowhood, won an Emmy Award.
Mr. Appleman was educated at Harvard (BA), Columbia (MA), and the Yale School of Drama (Playwriting Fellowship). Over the years, he’s lived in New York, London, and Michigan; he now lives in Westport, Connecticut. His website is www.herbertappleman.com
Enhanced by personal photos and reproductions of Dee’s art work, Just One More Song is a book to treasure and tell your friends about, especially if they’re in mourning or if they still believe that romantic love can last a lifetime. And longer.
Dedication
Nearly every night before going to sleep, Dee liked me to sing to her. The song she’d pick would depend on her mood or the occasion, if the day was special, or simply on the time of year. On the first day of fall, when the colors began to change, she’d always pick “Autumn Leaves.” More often than not, after I finished, she’d say, “Just one more song–this time you pick it.”
For Dee,
in loving memory,
Just One More Song is Herb Appleman’s account of coping with loss and grief following the death of his wife, Dee. It’s also the celebration of a marriage that was a love affair for forty-six years.
The book takes the form of a diary that Herb kept during his first fifteen months of widowhood and the entries are, for the most part, his conversations with Dee. These weren’t mystical experiences but, as Herb says, “as real as memory, imagination, and love are real.” They came about because he couldn’t sleep, even sleeping pills didn’t help, nothing did until one night when he remembered a scene from the movie, Sleepless in Seattle. In this scene, Tom Hanks plays a character who’s been recently widowed and is having trouble sleeping. Out of the blue, he imagines his dead wife sitting on the other end of the sofa, talking to him, and feels comforted. Herb thought he’d give it a try and imagined talking to Dee. It worked.
From then on, knowing he could talk to her at the end of the day gave him something to look forward to; and after they talked, he found it easier to sleep. Their conversations were triggered by things that happened on a particular day, but ranged, as conversations often do, over the whole of their lives.
Reviews
“A memoir pitch-perfect in its blend of drama and humor.”
— Roger Zotti, The Resident
“…Poignant tribute to a loving relationship of forty-six years.”
— Barbara Bamberger Scott, Pacific Book Review
“In short, it is a very memorable read.”
— Sarah Anne Carter, US Review of Books
As seen in The New York Times
Bring a new story home with you today.
Just One More Song
Conversations with My Wife After Her Death
Herbert Appleman
In a poignant, beautifully written memoir, a widower copes with loss and grief and celebrates a marriage that was a love affair for 46 years.
$19.99 paperback
978-1-7960-1544-7
also available in hardcover & ebook
www.xlibris.com
July 28, 2019
New York Times Book Review
Dedication
Nearly every night before going to sleep, Dee liked me to sing to her. The song she’d pick would depend on her mood or the occasion, if the day was special, or simply on the time of year. On the first day of fall, when the colors began to change, she’d always pick “Autumn Leaves.” More often than not, after I finished, she’d say, “Just one more song–this time you pick it.”
For Dee,
in loving memory,
Just One More Song is Herb Appleman’s account of coping with loss and grief following the death of his wife, Dee. It’s also the celebration of a marriage that was a love affair for forty-six years.
The book takes the form of a diary that Herb kept during his first fifteen months of widowhood and the entries are, for the most part, his conversations with Dee. These weren’t mystical experiences but, as Herb says, “as real as memory, imagination, and love are real.” They came about because he couldn’t sleep, even sleeping pills didn’t help, nothing did until one night when he remembered a scene from the movie, Sleepless in Seattle. In this scene, Tom Hanks plays a character who’s been recently widowed and is having trouble sleeping. Out of the blue, he imagines his dead wife sitting on the other end of the sofa, talking to him, and feels comforted. Herb thought he’d give it a try and imagined talking to Dee. It worked.
From then on, knowing he could talk to her at the end of the day gave him something to look forward to; and after they talked, he found it easier to sleep. Their conversations were triggered by things that happened on a particular day, but ranged, as conversations often do, over the whole of their lives.
Enhanced by personal photos and reproductions of Dee’s art work, Just One More Song is a book to treasure and tell your friends about, especially if they’re in mourning or if they still believe that romantic love can last a lifetime. And longer.
Herbert Appleman is an author, playwright, lyricist & composer, writer & producer of documentaries, and lecturer on the American musical; for many years, he was also a professor of English.
A Perfect Gentleman, his comedy about Lord Chesterfield, won the American Playwrights Theater Award, and has been produced by major regional theaters on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dauntless Dick Deadeye, his new version of HMS Pinafore, was produced by the Open Air Theatre in London and won an Olivier Award nomination.
“…And Suddenly You’re Alone,” his documentary about widowhood, won an Emmy Award.
Mr. Appleman was educated at Harvard (BA), Columbia (MA), and the Yale School of Drama (Playwriting Fellowship). Over the years, he’s lived in New York, London, and Michigan; he now lives in Westport, Connecticut. His website is www.herbertappleman.com
Reviews
“A memoir pitch-perfect in its blend of drama and humor.”
— Roger Zotti, The Resident
“…Poignant tribute to a loving relationship of forty-six years.”
— Barbara Bamberger Scott, Pacific Book Review
“In short, it is a very memorable read.”
— Sarah Anne Carter, US Review of Books
As seen in The New York Times
Bring a new story home with you today.
Just One More Song
Conversations with My Wife After Her Death
Herbert Appleman
In a poignant, beautifully written memoir, a widower copes with loss and grief and celebrates a marriage that was a love affair for 46 years.
$19.99 paperback
978-1-7960-1544-7
also available in hardcover & ebook
www.xlibris.com
