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I have to be careful when I listen to your show when you are interviewing an author. I often have to run out and buy the book. Not all the time, but when I do, it usually proves to be a very good read and a good investment. Today I heard your interview with E.L Doctorow, and went to his reading at Book Court this evening. What a treat to hear his thinking on how the book, Homer and Langley, evolved. When the author was signing my copy, I told him I heard your interview with him this afternnon. Mr. Doctorow paid you a compliment, smiling as he spoke, "Mr. Lopate always makes it easy and comfortable" What a lovely thing to say about you.

Does Mr. Doctorow ever worry that the "fiction" in his historical fiction novels will be forgotten and believed to be true "history"--like the Bible?

Hoarding is a very specific aspect of OCD that is little understood.

But the latest research indicates that one aspect of the patient's mental processes is an inability to prioritize.

So, if you can't tell if something is trash or treasure--how do you know what to throw away?

Especially if you're rich, and acquiring things is not a issue. Your living space then becomes a massive thing/roach motel--objects come in, but never leave.

It's really a fascinating mental infirmity.

When the Collyers' mess was discovered, large, menacing rats were seen scurrying about. They weren't brown or grey but white. Apparently they were the descedndents of pet, white rats that escaped, became feral and reproduced. One could say that the wild, white rats were symbolic of the deterioration.
Does Mr. Doctorow include the rats in his book?