Madam Lasagna and the Dead Frog: A Novel of Life, Love, Neuroscience

It's 1982 and Roger Bansky, a recently minted PhD in neuroscience, is about to establish his own research lab. But first he wants an adventure. He travels to Woodstock, the home of the iconic concert. There, he teams up with Rosy, Tim and Leslie (with whom he has an affair). The three clash with Wanda, the deceitful, hypersexual owner of the Chez Hendrix hotel, and Madam Lasagna, a sketchy spiritualist from The Bronx. Roger's carefree weeks of sex, drugs and rock n roll lead him to question his goal directed path as a scientist. As Roger sets up his lab, he is joined by Grace, a former ballet dancer, who seeks a new passion after being injured, and Bakari, a talented 17-year-old African American high school student assigned to help Roger. Grace is enthralled by the research of Reese Knightly, a prominent scientist, and joins his lab. But when she discovers that he is likely committing scientific fraud, she faces a dilemma: do nothing and move on with her research or expose him and risk destroying her career. Bakari plays a major role in ground-breaking research, but when his 7- year-old sister is shot in a drive-by shooting, he faces a choice between leaving school to help his family and pursuing science. Senior scientist Ridley Greif oversees the lives of these young people and searches for a way to encourage talented young people like Grace and Bakari to explore futures as scientists. This novel skillfully blends the thrill of real laboratory research in neuroscience with the struggles of a diverse group of fictional characters trying to find purpose in their lives.