Moments from the Audiobook
Grandma Mary
One casual comment at a funeral cracked the foundation of my childhood—and changed the way I understood truth in my own family. (Sam and Mary on Pelham Parkway, Bronx)
Szmul and the Russian Army
Drafted into the Russian army in 1914, my grandfather Sam (Szmul) learned early that survival often meant disappearing—and that silence could be inherited. (Sam in Russian Army uniform, 1914)
Javon
Growing up in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country meant learning early how race, class, and belonging work—often without anyone explaining the rules. (PS 89, Rich’s elementary school, Elmhurst, Queens.
Dachau - The Questions Arrive Late
Some families inherit trauma. Others inherit silence. In Germany, the questions arrived late—and landed hard (Sign on Dachau Gate)
Fight or Keep Your Head Down
My family gave me two rules for surviving the world—both loving, both contradictory. I’ve been negotiating that tension ever since. (85th Street and 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights)
Rudolf
As a teenager, I lived with a German exchange family. This clip introduces Rudolf, the father of that family (Rich’s home in Lindberg, Germany, 1976)
Jeff
In college, living with a gay roommate taught me how people survive by keeping parts of themselves hidden—and how recognizing that truth requires respect and listening. (Rich’s German House Dorm (3rd floor window) at Penn, 1979)
The Navy
As a midshipman in the U.S. Navy, I began to understand hierarchy, power, and when silence stops being inherited and becomes a conscious choice. (Rich’s ship, US La Moure County (LST-1194), 1979)
The Closing Dinner
The night I signed the FactSet acquisition of Insyte, their CFO and I decided against a Manhattan celebration and went to Queens instead. One chapter ended. Another began. (Lemon Ice King of Corona)
Two Brothers Meet Again
Grandpa Sam last saw his brother in 1914 when he left for the Russian army, 65 years later, they met again. (Sam and Harry, 1979)
Rowing Crew
A public-school rowing team with homemade T-shirts and no idea what “feather the oar” meant takes on elite prep schools—and learns what being an underdog really feels like. (Whitman Crew Team, Billy, Rich, Steve, and Scott, 1978)
CTS Team
Launching CTS at FactSet gave me scale—but what made it powerful wasn’t the global footprint. It was the people, bringing resilience, perspective, and lived experience from all over the world. It felt like Queens again—just bigger (CTS Japan team, 2018)