Click Here To Purchase Kissing the Underbelly

Authors: Joseph Anderson & Judy Millspaugh Anderson, M.D.

ISBN: 978-1-4653-6763-1

Publisher: Xlibris

As I read Joseph Anderson and Judy Millspaugh Anderson's Kissing the Underbelly, I could not stop myself from reminiscing about the 1991 Mel Brooks film, Life Stinks where Brooks, who plays the role of a callous, rich businessman, makes a bet with his biggest corporate rival that he can live for thirty days on the streets of L.A. without the comforts of home or money, which, as we discover, proves to be tougher than he thought. Although Kissing the Underbelly is by no means the same story, it does contain many of the same elements that were depicted in Brook's movie.

The Andersons thread their novel with themes of identity and the search for self as we follow the relationship between two individuals, Jonathan, a black man and Marina, a white woman who live together for a single year in poverty that was so fraught and delicate that at times they could barely bear to examine their lives, but it turned out to be the most significant year for each of them. Not only did they find each other and grow to love each other, but they also succeeded in finding themselves. In addition, the authors have achieved a nuanced depiction of how two people possessing a great amount of tenacity succeed in overcoming poverty and pain, which at times seemed to be insurmountable.

The story unfolds when Jonathan is forced to step out of his comfort zone, which was not exactly the “real world” and face life as experienced by the masses. Jonathan was not even aware of the bigotry and overt discrimination that existed in his own work place, nor did he understand what it meant to be a black man in today's world. He eventually winds up as a stock broker with a company with a dubious reputation that eventually is raided by Federal law enforcement authorities. Most of the brokers, including Jonathan's boss, are hauled off to prison and the company closes its doors, leaving Jonathan without employment. At the same time this is happening, Marina, who was a kept woman by Jonathan's boss, is likewise left to fend for herself and without a place to live. Marina, with her sordid past, could be described as a high class prostitute, who knew way more than Jonathan concerning slum living and how to adapt to changing circumstances to survive. In addition, her street smarts were much superior to a very naïve Jonathan, who, for most of his life, was sheltered by his immediate family wrapped up in a protective cocoon. The two agree to pool their resources together and live in a platonic relationship in a squalid neighborhood of Philadelphia in a shack that didn't even have hot-water or heat.

Through the perspectives of Jonathan and Marina, we share a view of what life is all about when living in poverty, as well as the powerlessness of individuals when they are trapped living below the poverty line. What really left a lasting impression was the manner in which the authors pack potent reminders of the plight of the downtrodden with dazzling clarity providing readers with the experience of leaping into other people's minds and witnessing how they are so isolated and all but forgotten by the rest of the world. Although Jonathan and Marina manage to barely survive, others around them are not so fortunate and are falling through the cracks.

It is apparent from reading the bios of these two authors that they have mined their own lives for material for the novel. Joseph Anderson is a former General Securities Principal stockbroker as well as a former owner of a convenience store/gas station. Judy Millspaugh Anderson is a retired physician, who spent thirteen years doing house calls in Philadelphia. As the back of their book mentions, they have been married for twenty-three years, and did in fact draw upon their combined experiences in their respective professions to collaborate on the book.

Incidentally, if you are wondering about the title, Kissing the Underbelly, three quarters through the book one of the characters, when asked how he was, replied “Jes' kissing the underbelly of poverty.” He goes onto explain that his granny used this expression and would say “that poverty was like a great beast. Some people ride on its back and actually profit from it, while others get trampled underfoot. Some of us though, we just hang on to the underbelly for dear life, jes' kissin' it, tryin' to survive.”

This is one novel where the authors make you care about their characters to the point of tears.

Click Here To Read Norm's Interview with Joseph Anderson and Judy Millspaugh Anderson, M.D.