I remember the first time I was sent to look for a dead body. Not the first time I saw one, but rather the first time I was sent to look for one. Hold on, let’s back up a minute. My name is Joshua S. Friedman. I am a multi-published author, and for the better part of a decade, I have been working as a maintenance man for a slumlord.
It’s not Taylor’s fault he’s what could be considered a less than reputable landlord, but I’ll get to that.
I usually specialize in crafting fantastical tales and poetry. Although, what you are about to read is no fairytale. It is a non-fictional account about my battles with regulatory commissions such the Office of Code Compliance, being subpoenaed to federal court by the Environmental Protection Agency, and even confronting a mayor with alleged mafia ties before a televised audience.
This is a firsthand account of surviving roach-infested tenements and being at ground-zero for the start of the great bedbug epidemic.
This whole thing started from me telling friends and family about crazy stories from my job working at the complex. There are those who encouraged me to write a book about it. There are others who urged me not to.
And what started as a mere memoir became more of a testament to how this country is swaying from the bosom of capitalism to a society of socialism.
This is not based on actual events. This is not inspired by someone else’s true story.
This stuff actually happened.
