In this group of connected stories, Anna Goldman -- widowed, nearly eighty years old and living alone in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles -- struggles to maintain her independence, keep her feisty spirit, and stave off elderly suitors. This volume comprises selections from Merrill Joan Gerber's Chattering Man, plus three new, previously unpublished pieces. We follow Anna as she moves from apartment to retirement home and finally, to nursing home. Anna's unsentimental view of life is rich in irony, humor, common sense, and truth.

Merrill Joan Gerber is a prize-winning novelist and short story writer. Her seven novels include The Kingdom of Brooklyn, (winner of the Ribalow Award from Haddasah Magazine) and Anna in the Afterlife, both published by Syracuse University Press.