Introduction

Power broker Harry Leonnoff takes on Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in this thrilling novel of New York City politics. From the slums of the Lower East Side to New Orleans, the Vatican, and the bloody battle of Belleau Wood, Fixer is the spellbinding tale of a fearless politician with a limp and a .38 who is faced with an impossible choice between his career and his integrity. Harry Leonnoff, uneducated son of Russian Jewish immigrants, overcomes the poverty of the Lower East Side, a crippling bout with polio, and rampant anti-Semitism to become the admired Robin Hood of Depression-Era New York. He helps four mayors get elected, saves nine innocent black men from the electric chair, and comes to the aid of immigrants and the poor. But the enmity of Fiorello La Guardia may be too much even for Harry Leonnoff to fix. Ed Brodow introduces us to one of the most compelling antiheroes in contemporary American fiction. "An extraordinary book, and one that you won't be able to put down." -- C.L. Rossman at Armchair Interviews "A passionate, tough and colorful story ...fascinating!" -- Iris Rainer Dart, author of Beaches "Breathtaking! A powerful story and a real page-turner. Harry Leonnoff is an unforgettable character." -- Susan RoAne, author of How to Work a Room

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Excerpt

Marshal Harry Leonnoff sat with his bum leg resting on the desk. The open jacket of his dark, double-breasted suit revealed a flashy red tie and a pair of lavender suspenders. If you looked hard enough, the grip of a large thirty-eight special peeked out at you lasciviously from the top of his waistband. The oversized foot enjoying the comfort of the desk was encased in a heavy, black orthopedic shoe that resembled a combat boot. His hands were stuffed in his trouser pockets. From the bored expression on his face, he might have been mistaken for your average, balding civil servant. At the opposite side of the desk stood a well-dressed, well-fed, middle-aged white man with a mustache, and a short, stooped, older black man with a crest of snowy white hair. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions from the author:

1. The legal system in Harry Leonnoff's time was corrupt, requiring a fixer like Harry to help those in need. Has our legal system improved, or is it still lacking? How would you improve it?

2. Harry Leonnoff shows great courage in his response to polio. How would you deal with polio if you were in Harry's shoes?

3. How does one develop the kind of courage that Harry exhibits when he confronts Dorsey Hogan and the mob?

4. The Lower East Side slum in which Harry Leonnoff grew up is now being ''gentrified'' and the poor are being relocated to the public housing projects that were created by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Have we really dealt with the problem of poverty, or have we just moved it out of the way?

5. Anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance are alive and well. Could a Dorsey Hogan arise in New York City today? How would society deal with a contemporary Dorsey Hogan? Could we experience another Scottsboro Case?

6. If you were exposed to the kind of rampant anti-Semitism that Harry experienced as a young man, would you develop Harry's open-minded, humanitarian philosophy or would you simply be angry for the rest of your life?

7. We seem to have an inordinately large number of psychopaths similar to Willie Malakow (Curly Murphy).
Does this reflect a serious deficiency in our society, or is it merely normal for any given human population to have many violent criminals?

8. The political parties in Harry Leonnoff's day were run by cadres of insiders like Harry and John McCooey.
How are today's political parties any different?

9. Harry and the Commissioner were married for almost fifty years even though they hated each other. Divorce seems to be the norm in today's society. Is it healthier for a couple like the Leonnoffs to stay together, or is divorce a better alternative? Has the institution of marriage as we know it become an anachronism?

10. Harry is advised to save his job by apologizing to Mayor La Guardia, but he is unwilling to do it. Was he wrong? Should he have apologized? Was Harry correct in standing by his principles or was he simply stubborn and unwilling to compromise? Should he have been more flexible for the sake of practicality and his own survival?

11. If you were Harry Leonnoff and faced with Willie Malakow, would you take Harry's approach and try to stop Willie or would you allow Willie to assassinate La Guardia?

12. Harry's grandson tries to come to terms with his grandfather's death. It is a problem that each of us eventually must face. How have you coped with the death of loved ones? How do you feel about the prospect of your own death?

13. Harry spends his final years languishing in a depressing public psychiatric hospital. How would you characterize the way our society deals with the problems of aging?

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