The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey

In this edition of the Bedrosian Book Club Podcast, we're continuing our conversation about race in America, from a slightly different angle. Walter Mosley, most known for his LA crime fiction, tackles aging and agency in this beautiful novel, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. Ptolemy Grey is 91 years old and spends most of his time locked in a cluttered apartment in South LA hiding from rotten neighbors and the dangers of his neighborhood. When his grandnephew and part-time care taker is murdered, the family sends along a young woman to coax Ptolemy to the funeral. The two form a bond and suddenly Ptolemy has reason to want to live in the present and make good on some promises he made long ago. We examine the central choice of the novel and issues of aging in America.

Sponsored by the USC Bedrosian Center
http://bedrosian.usc.edu/ 

Recorded at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
http://priceschool.usc.ed