Literary Scene: Laughing all the way through the COVID lockdown
BY DAVE HOWELL
Special to The Press
It’s the story of a man trying to escape prison, with photos, videos and diary entries.
In this case, it is the prison where we all have been confined, and there is hope, if not yet a happy ending.
It is “COVID-19 House Arrest” by Richard Plinke.
“The book picked up on its own volition,” Plinke says in a phone interview.
It grew out of his social media posts.
“At first, I wrote about how much everybody was eating. I would have crazy pictures for each post.”
Plinke, who is a business consultant, calls the tone of his work “smart-ass stuff, conservative by nature, not ideological. Most of it is humor-based.”
Plinke, who lives with his wife Terry, Ad Director for Lehigh Valley Press, in Upper Macungie Township, says he has social media followers from all over the United States. “People from all sections of the country have said it has helped them get through this,” he says.
He urges people to be cautious. “I believe you should wear a mask. Wearing a mask is a simple thing to do. You should try to social distance as much as you can and you should always wash your hands.”
The book begins with “Day 15 of Captivity.” Plinke dates it from the time in March when Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf extended his shutdown order to the entire state.
The book ends with Plinke getting a haircut after restrictions were loosened.
The subjects Plinke writes about in 81 days of captivity range from everyday life changes in shopping and ordering food to satires of pandemic press conferences and questioning of COVID statistics.
The book includes many photos of Plinke in costumes and doing lockdown-related activities.
It maintains a humorous, satirical tone. It has some harsh criticism, and Plinke names many of his pet peeves.
There are also many quotes from popular music and films, with an index for those you might not recognize.
Politicians and bureaucrats are skewered in the book, with Governor Wolf coming under fire most often. Plinke says this is because “Number one, he is a target. Number two, I had fun doing it.”
Plinke takes issue with the way the lockdown has been carried out and public information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Closing businesses was a huge mistake,” he says. “It put a lot of people out of work. It was way too much burden on our economy. There will be a lot of residual damage. The cure is worse than the disease.
“Some of the decisions were made politically as much as medically. There was no rhyme or reason. Often, the state did not release information. It created a lot of mistrust.”
Plinke may be known to Lehigh Valley readers for the column he wrote for Lehigh Valley Business from 2011 to 2018.
He has been a salesman for 35 years with his own companies.
His three previous books were about sales, “Dancing in the Cave of the Dragon,” “From the Jaws of the Dragon” and “More Droppings from the Dragon.”
Plinke says encountering sales resistance is “facing the dragon.”
His business consulting company is called “How to Sell the Plague.” He expects to release a book with that title this year. It’s a memoir about his years in sales.
There might be a sequel to “COVID-19 House Arrest.”
“The lockdown was originally supposed to be for two weeks. I can’t believe it is still going on. I might start writing about it again.”
To purchase a signed copy of “COVID-19 House Arrest” (Bright Communications, 2020; $19.95; 186 pp): www.howtoselltheplague.com
“Literary Scene” is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com