Cicero on 'Best Behavior'

Noah Cicero began the 2008 spring semester with hopes of writing a novel. He wrote in spurts, 30 pages here, 30 pages there, until he was left with a personal masterpiece set in Youngstown called "Best Behavior." Civil Coping Mechanisms, a new publishing company, chose the book after two years. Cicero said he believes this publishing company is working harder than others to promote the book and get its name out.

Cicero said the task of getting an author's name recognized is like a part-time job and very hands-on.

"I'm not making much money from the book," he said. "I actually asked that instead of getting money they send me the equivalent in books so I can send the book out to more reviewers and people that would do interviews."

Cicero spends around 15 hours a week promoting the book through interviews and submitting poems and short stories.

"The small press publishing world is very do-it-yourself," he said. "You have to be motivated and hard working to get your book out there."

"Best Behavior" is the fictional tale of Benny Baradat, a Youngstown native who has spent most of his early 20s working dead-end jobs and interacting with people who lead similar lives.

Halfway through the novel, he takes a bus to New York City and meets educated writers, making him realize how different his life was in Youngstown.

The novel also includes a love story between Baradat and a Korean-American woman named Petra, who is a "daughter of the military," Cicero said. The two have strange conversations.

"Best Behavior" is Cicero's sixth book. His first book, titled "The Human War," was published in 2003 and was made into a feature-length film by Sangha Films. It will appear at various film festivals this year.

Cicero said his newest book is different than his past works because it is more descriptive and has more characters.

"Linking them together into a web that made sense was the hardest part of the book," Cicero said.

Cicero, a political science major, will graduate from Youngstown State University in May. He said he believes his classes with Keith Lepak and Paul Sracic, professors of political science, helped influence his novel.

"The book takes place during a very political moment; it takes place right after the stock market crashed and Barack Obama was elected," Cicero said. "We kind of knew at that moment things were going to change but to where and what, we didn't know."

Cicero is motivated by the need for Americans to read more, which he said is crucial. He said authors such as Richard Wright, Richard Yates and Anton Chekhov, who have "such a deep love for their character," inspired him.

"When people do not have a high reading comprehension, they cannot read complex things," he said. "Now America is faced with very complex issues ranging from the stock market to sustainability problems.