Okay, when I was in France, my host family had an old book called either Generation Gap or The Generation Gap. I’m trying to find it again, but I’m having little success. Here’s what I remember.
It’s written by a man and his uncle. They each visit the other’s friends and job. For example, the nephew spends a week at his uncle’s office. The man hoped to “straighten” his nephew a little, while his nephew hoped to loosen his uncle up. They alternated chapters, writing about their experiences and observations.
The uncle, who originated the idea, originally wanted to call it “My Nephew the Hippie, My Uncle the Square” but his nephew protested because he wasn’t a hippie.
The book was written during the Vietnam War. I remember it was written during the war because the nephew was served notice that he would be drafted during the book’s creation, but it was published before he found out whether his objection (that he was a student) would be accepted or not. That’s really why I’m looking for the book–I want to find out what happened to this guy, who must be in his fifties, now.
Hi, Speaker:
You’re looking for The Gap, by Richard Lorber and Ernest Fladell. McGraw-Hill released a hardcover edition in 1968; prices I’ve seen on the Internet range from about $10.00 to about $25.00. Signet published the paperback in 1969; prices go from about $2.00 to about $10.00.
Life Magazine featured a condensed version of the book, called The Generation Gap, in its May 17, 1968 issue. The lowest price I’ve seen on the Net is $4.95; the highest is $27.99. The photographs are worth a look, especially a retrogroove cover picture that signifies as a wonderful 1960s artifact, a small hairy hunk of the zeitgeist.
As to what happened to Richard Lorber, run a Google search on “richard lorber” and “the gap”: apart from bookstore sites, you’ll find a number of web pages that provide capsule biographies. The questions you want answered, about the draft and military service, are never directly addressed but he seems an accessible sort, willing to field a query or two.
Please forgive me for link lack, but I try not to direct Dopers to commercial sites. I know you can find what you will with no more help from me.
Peace.
Ah, thank you very much. My having the name wrong was why I was having so much trouble finding it. Thanks again.