A Shoebox Full of Money

A Shoebox Full of Money, Martin Kleinman’s all-new short story collection, takes readers on an unforgettable safari through the far corners of his New York City, then and now. As in his acclaimed debut, Home Front, each story examines another piece of the grand New York mosaic.   

Kleinman’s all-new cast of characters is a rogues gallery that includes: “the world’s littlest shrink”; a wannabe, Great Gatsby-esque “Meyer Wolfsheim”; the cupcake eating, bakery-truck-driving handball champ who “meets” the most famous Beatle; two former street kids that evolve into high-flying, Bay Area data encryption gurus; a sultry Manhattan lounge singer in a slit skirt; a Viet Nam war vet and his Pall Mall smoking mom; childhood sweethearts who learn – the hard way – the real value of “home”; a Brooklyn-based sorceress from the South Carolina Lowcountry; a city street photographer forever lost in a maze of memories; beer-chugging, schoolyard b-ballers with hearts of gold; the first Jewish Miss America; La Lupe, the Cuban queen of salsa; and many more. 

Read an excerpt

 IN PRAISE OF A SHOEBOX FULL OF MONEY

In A Shoebox Full of Money, Kleinman’s love of New York breathes on every page. He weaves complex urban themes with a poignant tenderness. With the humor of Fran Lebowitz and the pathos of Pete Hamill, Kleinman’s stories feel quintessentially New York. No matter where the author's gorgeous writing goes, we know he will always land us smoothly in his beloved New York City.

--Marian Fontana, best-selling author, A Widows Walk: A Memoir of 9/11

In A Shoebox Full of Money, Martin Kleinman weaves powerful stories in distinctly diverse New York accents that ring true to this New Yorker. I enjoyed, and will treasure, every one of them.

--Fernando Ferrer, former Borough President of The Bronx, and two-time New York City mayoral candidate.

Kleinman’s latest collection, A Shoebox Full of Money, gently rocks between essay and fiction, and will show you how a New York Tuesday is different than any other Tuesday. With tales full of wit and nostalgia, Kleinman opens up the doors to his home, his museums, his bodegas, his street corners. If there ever was a time when one could use a “Shoebox Full of Money”, it is now.

--Kate Hill Cantrill, Author of Walk Back From Monkey School.

Martin Kleinman’s short story collection, A Shoebox Full of Money, is a treasure trove of riches…It’s all perfect – not a false note anywhere. By the time you’ve finished the book, you will have gone through a sea-change yourself, into a fuller consciousness. Not to be missed!

--Ron Kolm, editor of Sensitive Skin and author of Swimming in the Shallow End.

Reading Martin Kleinman’s A Shoebox Full of Money is like slow-dancing to a love song by La Lupe. His poignant stories are remembrances of life, love, and loss.

--Angel Franco, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist.

A Shoebox Full of Money is real city life itself, with all its sights, sounds, complexities, pain, and glory. You will recognize your friends, your relatives, your nabe, and most of all, yourself.

--Gary Axelbank, host of BronxTalk and the Bronx Buzz on BronxNet, and publisher of thisistheBronX.