(And Three More Books By Boca Grove Club Member George Karp)
The wonderful country clubs in Boca Raton are world-famous for the extraordinary luxurious lifestyle activities they offer to members, which include championship golf, tennis, pickleball, swimming, spa and health club services, a wide selection of superb dining, musical concerts, informative lecture events, off-site art tours, special programs for children of all ages…and so much more.
But one country club activity that goes relatively unnoticed by most members is the subject of the newest of author George Karp’s four published non-fiction books—by far the one that will have many of this column’s readers of a certain age constantly laughing as you nod your head relating to the experience!
George Karp is himself of that “certain age.” As the photo on this page shows, he is an attractive man. He also happens to have led a very successful life, in business and with a wonderful long marriage and raising a loving family that includes three daughters and five grandchildren. Sadly, his wife of many years, Rita, passed away in 2013 and, after a long period of mourning her loss, his daughters and many friends convinced him that Rita would have wanted him to find the right someone with whom he could share the rest of his life with the love he deserves.
“Senior Dating” is the date-by-date diary of his hunt for that “right someone” here among the country clubs of Boca Raton. And a fascinating tale it is, with the first years of these “connections” taking place while he was a member of Woodfield Country Club and discovering that no matter how far out of the way he tried to arrange the meeting places of his dinner dates—often a town or two away to avoid running into nosey neighbors—he was often spotted and found himself the subject of local gossip.
But the real highlights come from the stories of the individual dates, which range from boring to weird to hilarious, and anyone—male or female—considering playing this Senior Dating Game would do well to refer to this book as a valuable instruction guide. Although this book, like the author’s three earlier publications, is basically non-fiction he refers to it in his Introduction as a kind of “fiction” because he has changed the names of the people involved for the sake of their privacy and “to protect the innocent (or guilty.”) He has even played along by referring to himself throughout the book by such names as Greg Kaufman, the Gman and Quality Man.
After several opening chapters that introduce us to the author’s situation as a senior single man in Boca, the rest of the book’s 69 chapters each briefly describes one of his dating experiences. As busy as my own schedule is, I found myself often deciding to read “just one more chapter” before having to put the book aside to attend to other business, that’s how much fun it is.
Here is just a hint of the many dating examples discussed in this book, most in two to three pages each:
• The woman who claimed to be Jewish but pronounced the traditional Jewish Challah bread as Shallah.
• The woman who confessed, after acting seductively all during dinner, that she was really still married.
• The fancy lady in West Palm Beach who made all their dinner reservations at the most expensive restaurants but never once offered to pick up the check. She once had friends of hers invite them to dinner at Mar A Lago where President Trump sat at an adjoining table and shook hands with everyone in their group. But “fancy lady” broke off their relationship because she didn’t feel that the birthday present Gman bought for her maid was nice enough!
• The promising attractive woman who agreed to a date but asked that they first meet for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. While there, Karp felt uncomfortable by what seemed to be a young man photographing him. It turned out to be the woman’s son taking a video of him to make sure he wasn’t some kind of weirdo or danger, as a way of protecting his mother. A family of spies was not his cup of tea…er, coffee!
You get the idea. But for those of you contemplating the prospect of trying out for the Dating Game (and for others who just want the fun of a really entertaining book) you will be pleased to know that—despite the bumps along the way—there is a Happy Ending to this story! In the final chapters we meet Zeena (in real life, Zoe), for whom George Karp left Woodfield Country Club and now—for the past six blissful years—has been together with Zoe as members of Boca Grove.
“Senior Dating,” as with all of George Karp’s books, is available from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and many bookstores throughout the U.S. One more point I should mention: In considering that the audience for “Senior Dating,” unlike the other books, may skew smore toward an older audience whose eyesight is often not as sharp as it used to be, the author had this book’s text printed in a larger, 16-point typeface instead of the more typical 12-point typeface as in his and most other books. Many seniors will appreciate this; the rest of you will become accustomed to it within the first few pages.
*****
“Funny Things Happened: From Brighton to Boca.” George Karp’s first book, published in 2018, is a wonderfully heartwarming and entertaining introduction to a man who must be really fun to know in person. A memoir of the author’s growing up years as part of a loving family in a Brooklyn neighborhood, through his first marriage and successful business career, and all the way to his move to Boca Raton, it is presented in a series of brief entertaining memories that reflect his winning sense of humor that will appeal to those who appreciate Neil Simon’s work.
“Threats: A Humorous Commentary on the Dangers that Faced 20th Century America.” Despite the title, George Karp takes the subject of this book very seriously. It was published in 2021.
I have more than 1,000 books in my home library, the majority of which are non-fiction because of my personal reading taste, and many are reference works. Setting aside any touches of humor that may appear in these pages, I cannot think of a single other volume I have ever come across that compares to this one in its coverage of the number and diversity of historical facts—as the author states, “both important and unimportant”—that have taken place in America, decade by decade and year by year since 1900. In doing so he includes the dangers of every kind, natural and political, foreign and domestic, that have faced the United States and our people since the year 1900. For many, it will read as a memory of what you have experienced in your life as an American.
“Baseball: A Humorous Commentary on the National Pastime.” Long-time baseball fans will have a field day with this one—a very different approach to a history of more than 100 years of the major leagues, from 1900 to the 2023 season, with each chapter reminding readers of the most memorable events of its decade’s playing seasons. Added to that are the author’s special sections covering stats and facts related to Awards, the Hall of Fame. changes in the game’s rules, and much more than just humor.
