I downloaded your memoir a week or so ago, and have read the first couple of chapters. It’s brilliant. I think it is your best work. It strikes me that for a guy who has done so much, you talk about it very little in real life. I’m glad you have written it down.

I doubt that this memoir (Tango Dancer) was supposed to have a deep meaning, but it really struck a chord with me. The author tells of making his way through many circumstances, from professional musician to repairing bombers in the Canal Zone in WWII, to a career as a mechanical engineer and inventor, and now a writer. There are constants of inquisitiveness and of certain hobbies, like “urban farming,” wherein a potted orange tree qualifies as being a citrus grower. The theme is taking ups and downs with grace, and with a certain attitude of detachment. The theme rubs off on the reader. -Roy L.

Tango Dancer (Never Fool A Nice Girl Into Becoming The Blind Date of a Tango Dancer) is an amazingly enjoyable memoir by a 94 year old man with insight, humor, and sound advice for writers and idea people. If you have dreams, ambitions and wild intuitions, this book will help you appreciate these qualities in yourself. If you have moved from job to job during your career wearing many hats, you will admire Howard’s versatility. As his story unfolds you will have the pleasure of meeting a man with the courage to make things work better on the ground and in the air. Give it to the “do it yourself” people in your life. If you are one, Howard will show you now to improve your character with humor and humility. -Diane W.

from “Tango Dancer’s” back cover: A person born curious about almost everything, weaves a story of his engineering career, as well as of his personal adventures and ruminations. He tells of the lighter side of his life in the army, his business ventures, inventions, grew trees indoors, learned a few tap dancing steps, but shied away from a belly dancing class. At one time or another, he was a sailor, flyer, horticulturist, artist, cook, and more. Contrasting meaningful introspection and entertaining ideas, he posits that constant learning, and keeping the mind active, are good for both physical health and spirit. Am totally enjoying Tango Dancer because it’s so rich. I am reading slower than usual and putting it down so I can digest what I’ve read. You indeed challenge your readers to pay attention. And it’s funny! Thanks for suggesting I buy it; so far worth every penny. -Virginia Ellis

What a wonderful read Never Fool has been. Thanks so much for letting me know and for writing your memoir. Your style of humor and understatement revealed some truths that resonated in me. Your book is an inspiration to me. It feels particularly powerful to me in the honesty of reporting and reflection you provide as a man. -Patrick Baum

How about the story of “Hot Fingers” Perkins who while strumming idly one day discovered a fabulous new combination of notes -- Sullivan’s Lost Chord! Hot Fingers’ subsequent ascent to stardom is covered in mock documentary style, complete with the stereotypical media interviews about the moment of discovery. If you are up to that, you may be ready for more outrageous stories, all told in deadpan style in Fables & Foibles.

from Fables & Foibles back cover: Shows us what an impressive array of believable, attractive characters can accomplish when they try, and, sometimes, what they might succeed in doing even when not trying. He has a way of uncovering unique approaches to life’s situations and problems, and his writing makes you stop, think, and ask, “why not?” All told, these brief, but often fanciful pieces of unrestrained imagination (and sometimes the far fetched) are thought provoking, often amusing, sometimes warm and tender.

A collection of short stories that read easily and cover the gamut of possible themes. From the secret life of a belly dancer, murderous sweet peas, the man who found the lost chord, android football players, detectives Glug McClue and Silky, the dizzy attendee at a frenzied shower, the oldest man in the world, two in a tunnel of love, and Shakespeare's flying pickle barrel, to the title story itself: a wild melding of ingenuity and love. There are takeoffs on the Princess and the Pea and Red Riding Hood, an adventure story loaded with purposely-planted cliches, and one about a frugal suburbanite with garbage problems. And still others.

Donald Gibson, January 26, 2008: A sense of personal affirmation can occur when one is able to identify with or learn from another’s experience. Recognizing commonalities with someone else, born out of happiness or sorrow, can guide one to follow his or her own sense of purpose. With wise perspective and compassion, Charlotte Jarmy invites readers to appreciate such commonalities through her reminiscences and observations in Reflections: A Columnist’s Journey Through Time.

In her book, which comprises writings published in the Los Altos Town Crier from 1993 to 2003, Jarmy relates what’s on her mind and in her heart: anecdotes of her family and friends, remarks on current events, and heartfelt memories that serve her equally as inspiration and sustenance in a foreword passage, she writes, “I see the past as part of our present; it walks with us to light the way.” What’s evident - and most endearing - is that she doesn’t offer this compendium so much as one-sided commentary, but rather as a means of forging a connection with her readers. In turn, readers share in the stories of her life, which inspires them to reflect upon their own.

She speaks of the myriad of roles she has assumed over the course of her life including (though certainly not limited to) that of a student, teacher, author, wife, mother, and grandmother. She personalizes incidents like the Oklahoma City bombing and the tragedies of 9/11. She recounts how her Jewish heritage has not only shaped traditions in her life but also her keen appreciation of history (especially of the Holocaust) and its enduring consequences. Her ruminations and reactions are touching, sometimes pointed, and always sincere.

In perhaps the most poignant sections of the book, she writes about the losses she has suffered, most profoundly those of two sons as well as her first husband. With a refined dignity that many would find difficult to maintain under similar circumstances, Jarmy writes about how she initially dealt (and continues to cope) with her grief. Her ability to articulate her bereavement while not losing sight of her own ambitions stands as a wonderful example of perseverance and human spirit.

By writing so candidly about her own life, Charlotte Jarmy lets the reader feel like a trusted friend rather than an anonymous observer. She expresses her emotions and wisdom through the lens of her experiences. And while she didn’t discover the Polio vaccine or split open the atom, frankly, neither did most people. Most people live their lives to the best of their ability, with the hope of contributing something of value to those around them. Reflections: A Columnist’s Journey Through Time is one of Charlotte Jarmy’s contributions and it sure is a good one.

Mary Christy, author and columnist, says: “You are a role model for me - a woman who’s had the best and the worst life has to offer - and who not only survived but did so with grace and outage and came out of it a warm, compassionate and happy human being.”

Liz Nyberg, co-publisher of the Los Altos Town Crier, says: “Proud of her heritage, which includes a rich array of friends and relatives, Charlotte has enriched the lives of countless others in the newspaper columns over the years. Her personal, breezy style is easy reading and enjoyable.”

Sara Mallow writes, “I just finished your journey and wish I had your innate ability with words to tell you how touched I was with your book. You’re like a breath of fresh air to the Danielle Steeles of today. As well as your talent with words, you are also a good story teller. In other words, once I got started, I couldn’t put the book down. I expect to read it again to really absorb all your thoughts and slants.”

Beverly Kuerner: Thanks dearly for sharing, speaking for us, and bringing us stories that brought both laughter and sadness, cheered, tickled and amused us, yet at times sadly ached and pained us. There wasn’t a single story that didn’t enlighten us! Even though we may not write in appreciation of all our interesting and profound stories, we always read you.

Dr. Hal Malkin comments: Your columns were actually an unusual way to write your autobiography...it will always be available to your son and his children through many generations when some of them could ask “What was the world like when great-grandmother lived during the twentieth century?”

Zoe Ann Stiver says of Charlotte Jarmy: “You are the master of writing with style and personality and point-of-view.”

A collection of memoirs of author Charlotte Krepismann tracing over three generations of her family's movement from its roots in Russia to its migration and assimilation into the United States. Composed as semi-fiction, the author recounts stories from her childhood and reflections of her most personal memories. She takes you into every day life of a Russian Jewish family and the mother whose control over her family was absolute. It begins with life in Russia in the early 1900's and their difficult decision to migrate to the United States. She touches on their way of life and the values that held thm close.

Each section deals with a distimct slice of time, reflecting on the joys and heartaches which passed. Ms. Krepismann reveals the thoughts of a young girl growing up with a mother whom she adored but who could not be pleased. Within some sections are the internal frictions and feuds between her immediate and extended family. All the while she matures and sets out to build a future and family of her own. Even as her own childrem matured, mother's smothering love still had its hold some fifty years later.