In April 2024, our co-founder Roy Moëd traveled to Florida to meet a few of our treasured authors. Richard “the Blue Fox” Bassin sat down with Roy to share his experience of writing his private autobiography with us—a feat he had previously thought he would never achieve.
For years, Richard’s son had been asking him to write down his story for the family, but Richard wasn’t sold on the idea. He felt sure that he would never finish if he tried to write it himself, and he wasn’t convinced by any of the alternative methods on offer, such as using voice-to-text technology. He then alighted on an ad for LifeBook Memoirs, and talking with an interviewer sounded like a process he would enjoy …
Writing your autobiography can certainly be a daunting prospect, but in the hands of his experienced project manager, Charlotte, Richard quickly relaxed. His growing sense of confidence about the project was furthered by his interviewer, who guided him through each interview and prompted him with thoughtful questions to help him expand on the fine detail of his stories. Richard prepared notes for each of his conversations with her, and his preparation helped the interviews to hit the ground running.
Fox Tales
Covering a rich expanse of stories from throughout Richard’s colorful life, Fox Tales is an autobiography that positively bursts with personality, fun, and wisdom.
Richard’s son was particularly keen to learn more about their family history, and Richard devoted himself to fulfilling this wish as his interviews got underway. He started by painting a vivid portrait of his parents, to whom the book is dedicated. Richard’s mother and father, otherwise known as “Pinky” and “the Duke,” are brought to life with fantastic descriptions, larger-than-life stories, and enchanting photographs.
Although they were a working-class couple from Brooklyn and the products of two world wars and the Great Depression, Pinky and the Duke were eccentric, fun-loving people who determinedly filled their lives with flamboyance and color. The Duke, with his debonair mustache, resembled Captain Blood and was eternally charismatic, equipped with an endless supply of audacious one-liners and legendary stories. Pinky—so named because of her pink 1953 Cadillac—was dazzling but the more grounded of the pair. She would often go without to keep the family afloat. She also happened to be a formidable opponent in any game of Scrabble. Richard’s devotion to his parents is evident throughout the early pages of his book, and the lessons he learned from their lives are inspiring.
Richard also touches on his paternal grandparents, who fled the pogroms in Russia and struggled to immigrate to the United States. His family are surely fortunate to have had this history brought to life so wonderfully.
Richard has two brothers, with whom he shares a bond as fiercely strong as the one he enjoyed with his parents. Inseparable and always up to mischief, their stories read as one adventure after another! While still a toddler in diapers, one brother heard the family’s dentist hurting Richard, so he crawled in from the waiting room and bit the dentist on the ankle! When they were much older and their parents left them alone for an evening, the brothers would always throw a party. Perhaps inevitably, this led to some pointing of fingers when the clean-up operation hadn’t been as thorough as first thought!
Richard went on to—among other jobs—work in insurance, be a teacher, and own a brassware company, a travel publisher, and a laundromat. Over the years, he experienced triumphs and setbacks, but always managed rise anew. It should perhaps come as no surprise, then, to read that one of the lessons he wants to impart to his family is to persevere, come what may.
Throughout Fox Tales, Richard addresses his children directly in the narrative. This gives his book a lovely and very personal tone. It’s a little like a fireside chat, and this makes for a highly engaging read. Achieving this tone required constructive feedback from Richard, and he worked with us to ensure that we struck exactly the style he wanted.
History preserved
Richard describes the end result of his autobiography project as a “slam dunk,” saying that it was “overwhelming” to finally hold his private autobiography in his hands. Delightfully, he is still in touch with his LifeBook project team, and his family are pleased with the finished article. The perfect embodiment of Roy’s mission to provide not just beautiful private autobiographies but a valuable storytelling experience, Richard enjoyed recalling his memories, and he now has his personal and family history preserved for generations to come.
But what of his “Blue Fox” moniker? You’ll have to watch Roy’s conversation with Richard to learn more!
Written by Isabella Samuels, LifeBook Memoirs editor
