There is a upcoming review
I was born in the 60’s but I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who came of age in the ’60s and ’70s. Or those still wrestling with the materialism of modern life who will find comfort and kindred spirits in the compelling new book from Howard Reiss, After Woodstock. If you lived during this era and were able to attend #Woddstock leave me a comment and let me know what Woodstock was like and why.
After Woodstock a Poignant Exploration of Friendship and Divergence
NEW YORK, NY, March 13, 2025 — In the swirling haze of the 1969 Woodstock music festival, Howard Reiss and his best friend joined the throng of half a million pot-smoking, music-loving, tie-dye-wearing young people in what would come to be known as the defining emblem of the counterculture generation.
Those three days and one enduring friendship also served as the inspiration for Reiss’ latest book, After Woodstock, a fictional account in which Reiss explores how two individuals, though set on different courses, manage to maintain a bond rooted in their shared history.
Best friends since they met in preschool at age 2, Jack and Bryan matured into high schoolers with big plans. Jack talked about getting his doctorate in math and computer technology and creating the first android robot. Bryan dreamed about becoming a big-time lawyer with a Penthouse in the City and a house in the Hamptons.
The Summer of 1969 was momentous, with the culmination of Jack and Bryan’s high school graduation set against pivotal events such as the Stonewall Riots in New York City, man’s first step on the Moon, the Chappaquiddick incident and the Manson family murders, all under the grim shadow of the Vietnam War. Amid this tumultuous backdrop, the opportunity to escape to a three-day concert in the Catskills was irresistible to Jack and Bryan.
But those three days of peace, love and music marked a turning point, particularly for Jack. His trajectory took a drastic turn post-Woodstock, diverging significantly from the path he had once envisioned. After Woodstock meticulously traces the unfolding of Jack’s and Bryan’s lives — told through letters they exchanged — as they navigated their friendship over the next 50 years.
Through After Woodstock, Reiss captures not only the spirit of an era but also the essence of enduring friendship. His story is a poignant reminder that while life’s paths may diverge, the ties that bind true friends can transcend even the most profound differences.
After Woodstock
Publisher: Krance Publishing
ISBN-13: 979-8986428444
About the Author: Howard Reiss
Howard Reiss graduated from high school in 1969 — just a few months prior to Woodstock. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School, Reiss co-founded a Soup kitchen in Nyack, New York, and is an award-winning author with 13 other novels. For more information, please visit, or connect with the author on X (@HoRoRe), Instagram (howardreiss) and LinkedIn (howard-reiss-a37b1510/).
Pyramid on the Hudson is Howard’s eleventh novel.
Starlight Shines Far, Howard’s tenth novel, is a story about healing . . . healing the Earth, as well as healing a broken heart.
The ’60s Diary, Howard Reiss’ ninth novel, will send you on a journey through time from Rose’s first love to her time at Woodstock…from self-discovery and happiness to tragedy and rebirth.
Accidental Lives, Howard’s eighth novel, tells the story of two lives dramatically changed by coincidences of time and place.
A Lover’s Secret, Howard’s seventh novel. It was inspired by three very different thoughts . . . the mental illnesses that often went undiagnosed and untreated back in the middle of the twentieth century, especially among children . . . how time moved so slow when we were young and seems to speed up as we age . . . and how the internet (and Facebook) sometimes changes our relationship with the past. Readers’ Favorite calls this a “very engrossing” “unique romance.”
The Texture of Love, Howard’s sixth novel, was inspired by his love of Nabokov. On the 50th anniversary of Lolita, he decided to reverse the story and have a younger woman become obsessed with an older man.
The Old Drive-In, Howard’s fifth novel, is a nostalgic reflection on what could have been. If we can’t really go home again, can we discover something everlasting if we try? Readers’ Favorite wishes they could give this book “more than 5 stars.” IndieReader says this novel has “richly defined characters and weaves in themes of regret and nostalgia throughout this nuanced romance.”
P Town, Howard’s fourth novel, was inspired by a lifetime of visits to Provincetown, a magical town at the tip of Cape Cod. The mix of people, the art, the street music, and the color make it a great place to hide in plain sight. P Town is a multiple award winner; winning the Silver Medal in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Awards in the Contemporary Romance category, as well as the 2016 Los Angeles Book Festival in the Spiritual category. IndieReader says P Town is “beautifully written from beginning to end” and Readers’ Favorite calls it an “unforgettable read.”
The Laws of Attraction, Howard’s third novel is an insightful and quirky legal thriller about a courtroom battle over the estate of the elderly patriarch who leaves everything to his young wife who claims to be the reincarnate of his first wife. It leads to a rather unusual and somewhat comical trial to determine whether or not there is life after death. This novel is a Readers’ Favorite 5 star “guilty reading pleasure.”
Howard’s second novel, The Year of Soup was inspired by a dinner at a small restaurant in Northampton, Mass. when an old professorial looking gentlemen with a bottle of wine in a paper bag sat down at a table in the corner and was immediately joined by the young, female proprietor and chef. Although he couldn’t hear their conversation, he tried to imagine it, and their stories as well. This novel received the Silver Medal for Best Fiction in the North-East Region at the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2013.
Howard’s first novel, A Family Institution, published in 2011, was based on a true incident involving the discovery of an aunt hidden from the family who spent most of her life in Pilgrim State Hospital. The main character’s quest for the truth about what happened takes him to Pilgrim State where he takes a job in the records department, learns a lot about how the mentally ill and, in particular, his aunt was treated in the 1950s, and in the process turns his life and family upside down. It’s a serious subject approached with a strong comic touch and has been a growing favorite of book clubs around the country.
Howard Reiss is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School. He co-founded a Soup kitchen in Nyack, New York where he lives and runs.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and Cates
