Books by Gary D Chattman

Spring has arrived in New York City. The year is 1939 and the world is about to change.A 22-year-old novice songwriter in the Bronx named Reuben Rabinowitz spends his days playing the grand piano on the fifth floor of Macy’s. Also working at the department store is a young lady of 19 named Rose Deutsch.Reuben and Rose connect, flirt and date and eventually marry – all in the space of seven months – because of the imminent war.By Dec. 8, 1941, Pearl Harbor has been bombed and Reuben enlists in the Army.We go to war and we see its horrors, not only on the men fighting, but of the family left behind.We witness the death of loved ones. We witness the loss felt by those remaining at home, while their sons and husbands are fighting abroad.This stirring novel elaborates on the love between Rose and Reuben; their families and their friends; and the horrors of war that forever mark its survivors.The story resonates for everyone, for it shows how people in love cope with separation and loss. And it resonates from the realization that love conquers all, or sometimes doesn’t.   (About the Author)Gary D. Chattman has been a teacher and administrator all his life, primarily in public high schools in the Bronx. He has also been a Hebrew School Principal, an academic leader, and has created a special program for teaching Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah programs for young Jewish men and women outside of Hebrew School. He is a concert pianist, a lyricist, and a composer. A grandfather of four, the love of his life is his wife Patti. This is his 11th published book.

Meet Gary Chattman, who didn't want to be a teacher. But when it became a valid way to escape the draft during the Vietnam War, he made it his mission to teach.Once Gary was hired, he realized becoming a teacher was what he was meant to be, and for over fifty years dedicated his life to making a difference in the lives of his students. Despite his dedication, the school administration tried to bring him down one notch at a time.Student deaths, students skipping classes, and the callous attitudes of some of the administrators who could not see his vision became everyday battles, making Gary determined to conquer his windmills like Don Quixote. Finally, an illness brought on by his school's new construction threatened to knock Gary off his Dulcinea for good.Follow the embellished life of this dedicated educator through the tumultuous 1970s, '80s, and '90s.(About the Author)Gary D. Chattman has been a teacher all his life, primarily in public high schools in the Bronx. He has also been a principal, an academic leader, headed up school theatrical productions, and created a special program for teaching Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah programs for young Jewish men and women outside of Hebrew School. He is a concert pianist, a lyricist, and a composer. A grandfather of four, the love of his life is his wife Patti. This is his eleventh book.

Once upon a time in a small Westchester community named Laurelville, 71-year-old David Goldstein is called out of retirement to direct and piano accompany the high school production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”A disgruntled former Laurelville High School student named Michael LaDonna, enters the auditorium during rehearsal, shooting down students left and right. To stop further carnage, an injured Goldstein crawls over to the shooter and engages him in talk. It seems the previous school theater director molested LaDonna’s sister, and he is out for revenge.Goldstein’s brave and delaying tactic gives the police time to act, and they storm the auditorium, killing the shooter. In this horrific shooting, three students and the shooter lie dead, and many others are injured.Although a novel, this story is a scary reminder of the times we live in, and what happens all too often in differing scenarios throughout the country.Gary D. Chattmanhas been a teacher all his life, primarily in public high schools in the Bronx. He has also been a principal, an academic leader, and has created a special program for teaching Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah programs for young Jewish men and women outside of Hebrew School. He is a concert pianist, a lyricist, and a composer. A grandfather of four, the love of his life is his wife Patti. This is his tenth book. 

There Was a Little Girl Who… teaches her teacher about empathy. The year is 1969 and Josh Reuben is hired by the Shriver family to privately tutor their daughter, Jenny Shriver, a fictional character related to the Kennedys. She lives in the Kennedy compound. Josh is a draft-avoiding teacher from the Bronx, who is raw, untested, and unmotivated. An English teacher in a South Bronx middle school, Josh is an abysmal failure. Then he applies to teach piano to Jenny … and is hired to teach all her classes.The girl blossoms under his tutelage, while he becomes motivated by Jenny and discovers the true meaning of teaching others. Then tragedy strikes. Inspired by his connection to his student, Josh learns the real meaning of educating others, and uses what she taught him to become an excellent teacher. Josh's relationship as a teacher to Jenny teaches him about love - and because of this - he can love another.The author of nine published books, Gary D. Chattman was a teacher/administrator in the New York City Public Schools; a professor in various subjects at Pace University, College of New Rochelle, Westchester Community College, and Lehman College; and is a concert pianist and piano teacher. He is also a rabbi, who has officiated at 293 B'nai Mitzvot. He has been happily married to his wife, Patti, for almost 47 years and is the grandfather to three.