Great Neck resident, letter writer, publishes political musings

Janelle Clausen
Great Neck resident Hal Sobel has published a book. (Photo courtesy of David Sobel)
Great Neck resident Hal Sobel has published a book. (Photo courtesy of David Sobel)

Over the last five years, Great Neck resident Hal Sobel has frequently submitted letters to the editor of the Blank Slate Media newspapers.

He wrote enough to publish a collection of his thoughts back in 2016 in “The Dream Shall Never Die: Essays on the Political Landscape.”

And now he has done it again with the publication of “A More Perfect Union: Essays for Our Time,” a collection of political musings taking aim at topics ranging from the sanity of President Donald Trump to guns and “everything else,” with the help of Scott Krause of Mountain Air Books.

“The book was kind of written for me because all I had to do was compile all the letters that I had previously written,” Sobel said in an interview Monday.

Sobel, who taught for nine years at New Lincoln, a private progressive school in Manhattan, and education for 46 years at Queens College, begins the book citing the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, which was created “to form a more perfect union.”

He then writes that he chose it as the book’s title because it alludes to the imperfection of the preceding Articles of Confederation, as well as the “possibility of alteration and change.”

Hal Sobel, a Great Neck resident, has published another book of political essays. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)
Hal Sobel, a Great Neck resident, has published another book of political essays. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)

“The Constitution countenanced slavery, denied women their rights and failed to provide for the direct election of senators. But it provided a remedy – the amendment process,” Sobel wrote. “Contrary to what conservatives believe, the Constitution is ‘a living document.’ It is full of promise for a better tomorrow.”

Sobel said the essays make cases for a variety of stances such as being against the National Rifle Association, or NRA, and being pro-woman.

These essays are also often based around numbers, he said.

“Very often it’s a set of statistics, which I really wanted to share with whoever reads the letters to the editor,” Sobel said.

Asked if there was a certain audience he intended to reach with his book, Sobel said he was not motivated by trying to make someone feel comfortable.

“It’s certainly not designed to confirm what they feel unless they’re on my side,” Sobel said. “I’m trying to prove something.”

Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the book should email Sobel at halsws4@aol.com.

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