FRED’S SECOND THOUGHTS

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my first novel, “Fred:  Buffalo Building of Dreams,” let me introduce myself.  I am Fred, a 125 year old building located at the corner of Niagara Street and Potomac Avenue, on the West Side of Buffalo, N.Y.  In time you will come to know how I got my name and how I achieved the ability to narrate my stories.

My original stories were set in the early Twentieth Century, and involved people who occupied my apartments over those same years.   These tenants arrived from all over the world:  immigrants from Europe, refugees and descendants of enslaved peoples of Africa.  Although the League of Nations had not yet been created, I had my own League of Nations of Hope.  Like my tenants, I was a survivor of those very hard times, and like them, I endured.

Of course, it was impossible to tell all of their stories, stories of success and failure, sadness and joy.  Now, several years after my first novel, my co-authors, James Costa and Frances Schmidt, are working on a new novel, not yet titled.  We expect it to be completed and published in 2025.

Best,

Fred

FREEDOM

My name is Violet.  Sharing a website with “Fred:  Buffalo Building of Dreams” is an eye opener.  I’ve discovered I have a lot in common with so many of Fred’s tenants. Most important, is freedom. 

Freedom.  It is a powerful, liberating word that rings and excites people throughout the world, wherever it is heard.  What Fred’s tenants wanted most was the freedom to take charge of their lives, achieve their goals, provide an education for their children, buy a home, start a business—in short, all those things that can be acquired as citizens in a free country.

To a large extent, that word applies to my own life.  In my novel, “Forever Violet” I began as a young girl, trapped in an abusive environment that provided no freedom.  Nevertheless, because of the opportunities afforded me in a free country, and my personal determination and belief in myself, I was eventually able to escape a dreary and hopeless future.

In that sense, Fred’s tenants and I have much in common.  More than that, our stories can encourage others who are oppressed to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them in a free society, have faith in themselves and persevere.  Just as so many others have done before them, they too can achieve the American Dream.

Best,

Violet