I was born in the Bronx in 1936 to loving parents: a stay-at-home mother and a father who made his living driving a taxi. When my father could no longer handle the cold New York winters, just as World War II ended, we relocated to Long Beach, California. We lived in a converted garage because all the apartments were occupied by returning servicemen.I graduated high school in 1953 and went to work for the Navy Department. In 1954 I came to New York for a vacation and never left. I met my husband Mike as we crossed paths on a staircase in my cousin's house in Brooklyn - love at first sight. We married in November of 1955.I was nineteen when we married, had three children by 29 and was widowed… at age 31when my husband died of pneumonia.We had been active in local politics and after his death I continued in that endeavor. I ran for a seat on the New York City Council representing the Borough of Brooklyn and won. Four years later I lost a race for Borough President of Brooklyn.I was appointed by then Mayor Abraham Beame to an administrative position in a city housing agency and stayed on for thirteen years, running several major housing programs.Subsequently, I managed residential housing in the private sector, including a highly successful high rise housing complex, Waterside Plaza. In 2002 I retired to my home in Sag Harbor, Long Island.I attended Brooklyn College and completed the course work toward a Masters in Sociology.From 1997 through 2001, I taught classes at the Real Estate Institute of New York University as an Adjunct Assistant Professor. Much of the course material on housing management and safety issues was incorporated into Safe Child~Dangerous World. After retiring I wrote a play, a novel and several short stories for kids. The inspiration for Safe Child~Dangerous World came from living with my granddaughter since she was born in 2008. When she was about 3 1/2, I started teaching her safety rules: hold on to the banister, sit still when you eat, don't put non-food items in your mouth, etc. We progressed to outdoor safety, bullying and more. Our discussions--and my background in security and safety--led to the creation of what was going to be a skinny little book for kids. After much research, plus observance of the devastating incidents and accidents happening all around us, I wound up with 16 chapters of vital information on how to keep children safe in in today's frantic-paced, distracted and frequently hostile environment.