I’m Frankie Sterne

Fall 2000

Paperback 296 pages

Fiction

Frankie’s story begins with his growing-up in Harlem, a period marked by a stormy relationship with his father and his joining a band in the tumultuous early days of rock and roll.

As the 50s near their end, Frankie’s travels lead him to Cuba, where he fights with Castro’s forces. Over the following decade, he criss-crosses the continent as an itinerant folkie involved with various left-wing causes and moves through several relationships. Ultimately, he becomes a fugitive on the run to Canada, where he takes a new identity and begins a new phase in his musical life as a serious composer.

I’m Frankie Sterne culminates with a remembrance of childhood that echoes the earlier stories.

Though Frankie is not a typical person of his time, his experiences and attitudes serve as a touchstone for many of the facets of North American life.