I Would Prefer Not To - (#1)
A quarterly miscellany of essays by Richard Dooling and news about his upcoming books. Subscribe here.
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Commentary, Opinion, Book Reviews
When I publish in the Wall Street Journal or some other publication, I will do my best to gift or share unlocked articles so you won't encounter a paywall. Even if the gift link has expired, you can usually read the same article at my website.
A Brush With Death and a First Novel
In early January, I published a short opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about my first novel Critical Care and how it came to be. This link should open the piece. "A Brush With Death and A First Novel," by Richard Dooling, at the Wall Street Journal. Or you can read the same article at dooling.com: "A Brush With Death and A First Novel."
Indeed, the cancer scare happened as described, but in those days there was no treatment for melanoma, so I received no chemotherapy or radiation. They simply scalped me and told me that if the cancer came back it would kill me. Thanks for that.
A new ebook edition of Critical Care participates in Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Program. A new paperback edition is also available. Critical Care makes fun of doctors and lawyers. Readers who work in health care tend to give it five stars, and those who don't are sometimes put off by what one reviewer called "a harrowing look at the American way of life-support."
The Baby Boomers Are Arriving In Montana
In June of 2024, I published another short opinion piece in the Journal about moving to Montana. This link should work: "The Baby Boomers Are Arriving in Montana," by Richard Dooling, at the Wall Street Journal. Or if the link has expired, you can read the same article on my website: "The Baby Boomers Are Arriving In Montana."
This article about Montana is living proof that we opinion and commentary writers do not get to pick the title of our articles. I called this essay, "The Mountain Life." I have published over a hundred opinion pieces in various publications over the years. Not once did an editor or publisher use the title I gave the piece, and not once was I consulted about what to call it. We commentary writers must wait until publication day to learn what clickable headline the editors came up with.
My Books
In October of 2025, I will publish a novella called Send The Dead, a Caribbean horror story, which will also include some short stories I've published over the years. In January 2026, I will publish my sixth novel, The Acolyte, about an altar boy who must help a federal prosecutor and the FBI bust a Catholic priest's child exploitation ring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is the miscellany called I Would Prefer Not To?
A: In the 19th century, before typewriters, copy machines, and computers, lawyers hired scriveners to make copies of documents in longhand. Herman Melville's short story, Bartleby, the Scrivener, perfectly captures the drudgery of a day job, especially the drudgery of working in a law office. Bartleby starts out as a diligent reliable employee, but one day the lawyer-boss tells Bartleby to copy a document. Bartleby refuses by saying, "I would prefer not to." Indeed, Bartleby thereafter refuses all instructions from his employer by saying, "I would prefer not to."
This refrain runs throughout the story and eventually drives Bartleby's boss to take extreme measures. "Well if you won't make copies, then you'll have to leave!" Bartleby replies, "I would prefer not to." I named this miscellany in honor of Melville and Bartleby, who was perhaps the first not-so-quiet quitter. By the end of Melville's tale, Bartleby's "I would prefer not to" speaks to us all.
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Issue #1
This email welcomes subscribers to I Would Prefer Not To, a quarterly miscellany published by Richard Dooling. This is issue #1. Find other issues at the Archives.
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