Longtime Friend of the Fair David Singer largely grew up in Riverdale, New York, and came to South Florida in 1977 to attend law school. He and his wife, Sharon – whom he met at a happy hour at the now-defunct Grand Bay Hotel in Coconut Grove – have two adult children, a daughter and a son.
When did you first start going to the Fair?
I was a young lawyer starting out about 40 years ago and I wanted to get involved in community activities that reflected my interests. Reading was and is a big interest of mine.
What does Miami Book Fair mean to Miami, and what has it brought you personally?
The Fair brings another aspect of cultural richness to Miami, and it showcases the city’s intellectual depth to the world. Little did I know when I first started going so many years ago that it would grow to be one of the most respected book fairs in the country. Sharon and I look forward to it every year – we’re stimulated by the speakers and invigorated by being among a community of curious and thoughtful fellow fairgoers, and we easily buy a year’s worth of books every time.
What are your favorite FOTF benefits?
The ability to meet and have conversations with the authors – that’s something I really love – and sitting up close. As I’ve aged, being seated where I can see the faces of the authors is a big plus.
How do you and Sharon usually Book Fair – do you attend sessions together, follow your own agendas, meet up with family or friends?
We go to some of the same presentations but we also have our own interests and see authors separately. At the end of each Saturday and Sunday of the Fair, we have a lot to talk about.
What’s an MBF experience that really stands out for you?
Meeting the authors as they’re signing my copies of their books is always a thrill. Happily, they often give face time to people at the Fair; I can usually get in a few questions.
Tell me about the last great book you read. Are you reading anything good right now?
I’m reading President Carter: The White House Years, a biography of Jimmy Carter by Stuart Eizenstat, who worked in his administration. It started slow, but it’s improving as the section I’m at shares a lot of inside baseball about the legislative process. In other words, how the sausage is made. The last great book I read is any book by Robert Caro, my favorite author and, in my opinion, the greatest nonfiction writer in the history of the English language.
Which MBF 2024 program did you find most delightful/inspiring/engaging?
For both myself and my wife it was the Evenings With presentation with Amir Tibon. I knew him as a great Israeli journalist but I didn’t know that his family was trapped inside Kibbutz Nahal Oz while Hamas was invading and slaughtering their neighbors. Thankfully, his wife and kids survived because they were in a safe room.
What’s the best book-to-screen adaptation you’ve seen – or worst – and why?
My favorite adaptation of a book is also my favorite movie, Double Indemnity, written in 1936 by James Cain. Thinking about the worst, there are so many examples of disastrous attempts at movie adaptations. I could tick off all the famous ones, including The Bonfire of the Vanities, but I will just say I’m disappointed that Hollywood hasn’t made a really good adaptation of Fitzgerald‘s The Great Gatsby, in spite of trying to do so every 20 years.
If MBF came to you and said, “Who do you most want to see at this year’s Fair?” who would that author be and what would you ask them?
Well, I think it’s unlikely that the MBF will produce a live William Shakespeare this year, but, in lieu of that, I’d like to see all the great biographers. Of course Robert Caro, but also Ron Chernow, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Eric Foner, Jon Meacham, and the underrated A. Scott Berg.
Interview by Elisa Chemayne Agostinho; responses have been edited for space and clarity.
