David Rothenberg Shares New York Stories with Heart in Manhattan Mayhem

By Robert White, Editor-In-Chief

David Rothenberg is not just a witness to history—he's often been the one helping to shape it. From Broadway stages to prison reform, from civil rights activism to city politics, his life reads like a screenplay. And now, with the release of his new book Manhattan Mayhem, Rothenberg offers readers a poignant collection of stories that capture the city’s pulse with wisdom, wit, and the unmistakable beat of a New Yorker who has truly seen it all.

Released on April 2, Manhattan Mayhem is a gripping mosaic of 18 tales that mix memoir with fable, memory with reflection. “I had stories kicking around in my head for years,” Rothenberg says. “The pandemic finally gave me the time and space to write them down.”

What began as a personal exercise quickly found an audience. “I started reading them on my radio show during lockdown,” he recalls. “People kept reaching out, asking how they could buy the stories. So, I thought, maybe I should publish them after all.”

Though some of the stories are fictionalized, the truths they hold are deeply human. “Some are about my childhood in New Jersey, others are inspired by people I’ve met—many through the Fortune Society,” Rothenberg says, referencing the transformative nonprofit he founded in 1967. That organization now employs over 600 people and offers life-changing support for individuals returning to society after incarceration.

One of the most compelling entries in the book is The Uninvited, which draws on the real-life experiences of a family who lived under the veil of the federal witness protection program. “It’s such an isolated and unknown existence,” Rothenberg explains. “You grow up trained not to speak, not to trust. It stays with you.”

But not every story in Manhattan Mayhem is dark or dramatic. There’s humor, romance, heartbreak, and plenty of big city charm. “There’s a story called The Jew Story—it’s about a Jewish man and a Black woman in love, but unable to marry due to social and family pressures. It’s Romeo and Juliet in Manhattan.”

Despite being 91, Rothenberg remains tirelessly engaged. He still volunteers weekly with the Fortune Society and hosts a longstanding radio program on WBAI in New York. “When I sit in on acting classes at Fortune, seeing these men and women—many who’ve spent years behind bars—express themselves through art, it’s powerful,” he says. “We’re not training them to be actors. We’re helping them find their voice.”

That same ethos—that belief in the redemptive power of storytelling—echoes throughout Manhattan Mayhem. It’s a love letter to the city and the people who inhabit it, written with the clarity of someone who has spent a lifetime listening.

For Rothenberg, the theater remains a sacred space. “Theater can be a mirror or a catalyst for change,” he says, referencing The Castle, a play he directed and produced featuring formerly incarcerated individuals that ran off-Broadway for over a year. “It’s storytelling with purpose.”

And that’s exactly what Manhattan Mayhem delivers. It’s not just a collection of short stories—it’s an invitation into Rothenberg’s world, one filled with grit, grace, and an unwavering belief in second chances.

David Rothenberg’s Manhattan Mayhem is available now on Amazon. To learn more about the Fortune Society and how to support their work, visit fortunesociety.org.

Listen to the full interview with David Rothenberg on The Savoir Faire Audio Experience.